


Held My Heart Hostage

by PlanetGalaxy



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bank Robbery-mentioned, Crime Fighting, Crimes & Criminals, Criminal AU, Criminal Alexander Hamilton, Criminal John Laurens, Criminal Lafayette, Drug Use, Hercules is done with all the shit, Hostage Situations, Hurt Alexander Hamilton, Injury, M/M, Multi, Organized Crime, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, prison break - Freeform, they're all criminals
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-27
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2019-06-30 02:40:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 31,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15742485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PlanetGalaxy/pseuds/PlanetGalaxy
Summary: Alexander Hamilton had a unique talent for getting himself into more trouble than he bargained for. Which is how he ended up running from the police at three in the morning because he just had to test the limits. But what happens when he accidentally crosses paths with the charming Marquis de Lafayette and John Laurens, two criminals also running from the law? Well, for starters he didn't expect them to hold him hostage in order to evade the cops.





	1. An Unexpected Turn of Events

**Author's Note:**

> Hey this is my first fic so it's obviously gonna need some improvement. Tell me what you think i need to work on tho I'm always looking for ways to get better  
> *TW*- hostage situation

Thorns whipped and tore at his face in his mad dash through the forest, attempting to escape the sirens blaring in the distance. The wind rushed past his ears while his legs screamed in protest, keeping his mind sharp and senses ready. Clutching the black bag close to his chest, he continued to blindly run through the forest, hoping the red and blue flashes would stop terrorizing him every time he closed his eyes.

Yes, Alexander Hamilton was on the run. 

This wasn't too different though as his whole life consisted of running. He ran when the hurricane left his island unrecognizable, shattered into pieces right before his eyes. Ran straight to America when the light in the eyes of his last remaining family flickered out. His legs didn't stop moving when he hit the promised land either, seemingly no place for an orphan immigrant. Everyday he runs from death, whose always just a few steps behind, and to add on he's been running from the cops for who knows how long. Hopefully, not for too much longer because his legs were threatening to give out on him.

When the night had first started Alex was confident that everything would go smoothly, but then again when does a bank robbery ever go without problems.

Alex had spent months agonizing over every detail of the process, memorizing night guard shifts, hacking security cameras, crafting custom keys for locks. Of course, he knew all along that a job that big couldn’t be accomplished in his set time by one person. But, Alexander Hamilton was far too stubborn to think that anyone else could even come close to having the brain capacity needed to help him. Hence, why he was now sprinting through a forest trying to escape the police at three in the morning.

The cops were crazy pissed at him too. Each time they thought they were getting close to putting him behind bars he always seemed to slip right though their grasps. It also didn’t help that the bank he robbed was known for having the highest security in the state, making them look like fools. Its strong room was said to be practically impenetrable. 

The bank’s supposed, high security was why it had never been broken into. Why would someone waste their time on a mini Fort Knox when they could just easily rob the 7-Eleven down the street? Alexander had always liked a challenge though.

Normally, Alex didn't steal and if he did it was never on such a large scale as a bank robbery. He believed in working for what you earn, always trying to get small jobs to do or trying to sell his writings. Which is why the beggars he saw on the street, receiving pity money from strangers, always struck a nerve. Alex had been struggling for far too long though, and he wanted an assured source of cash that would keep him on his feet long enough to start getting a steady flow of income. He determined that the bank would give him that, no matter how hard it was to get into.

What most people didn’t know; however, was that the bank was built in the early 1920’s, and while it had developed overtime to become more modern and high tech, no one had ever thought to upgrade the strong room in the basement of the bank. Which is how Alex learned that if he could find a source of liquid nitroglycerin, he could easily destroy the door. And conveniently all he had to do was boil a couple sticks of dynamite and boom, nitroglycerin for the taking. 

Alex prided himself on his findings and wanted to test them out as soon as possible. The one mistake he failed to notice though was that he hadn’t planned for there to be any bystanders near the bank. 

It would seem as though a detail that small wouldn’t matter. How many people are out loitering around a bank at 3 a.m. anyway? Turns out all it took was one nosy teenager for Alex’s whole plan to fall to pieces. Just as Alex had slipped back out of the bank, his black bag filled with new wealth, a drug dealer in a nearby alleyway had decided to call the cops on him.

Which outraged Alex even more than if a random passerby had called, because what authority does a drug dealer have to call the police on him? _What kind of dumb ass drug dealer calls the police to where they’re selling drugs!_ Alex had no time to dwell on that fact at the moment, but he swears if he gets caught because of that low life punk he’s taking his weed ass down with him. 

Breaking him out of his thoughts, another noise sounded beside Alex and his heart almost stopped beating. His immediate thoughts were that the police had finally caught up to him somehow, which was strange because he didn’t hear anyone running behind him before. He was not going to be taken down easily though and so Alex gathered up what little energy he had left and demanded his legs to sprint faster.

His breaths were coming out in heavy huffs and the world rushed past him in a blur of blacks and greens. He almost stumbled once or twice over a protruding tree root and he must have collected every leaf and twig in his hair, but he kept running. It wasn’t until Alex broke through the line of trees and skidded out onto a street that he finally stopped. 

The streetlight overhead played with his eyes as he frantically searched for someplace to hide, making the shadows look like figures. His surroundings seemed to pulse in time with his quavering heart as his eyes flicked from place to place. He checked to make sure his bag was still secure before breaking out into a sprint. He could see a bridge just over the horizon, and if he could make it across and into the next town he’d be a hell of a lot safer than in the middle of the street.

His positive thinking was brought to a halt though as the sound of screeching tires met his ears and the red and blue flashing was back behind his eyes. Alex began running faster, tears gathering in his eyes from the harshness of the wind.

“Stop! Police!” he heard one of them yell, but since when has he ever listened to authority? He saw a burst of movement again coming from the woods ahead of him and stopped in his tracks as he watched two new men stumble out into the street. They certainly weren’t police, Alex deduced, as they looked as though they had just gotten out of a brawl with Freddy Krueger himself.

Their shirts had faint splatters of blood covering them and they were covered in bruises and scratches. Alex determined that even with all the marks, both men were still hot as fuck and wow he really shouldn’t be thinking of that right now. 

The two men had a panicked yet determined look in their eyes and that only intensified when they caught sight of the police now surrounding them. They looked badass, Alex thought, watching the two hurriedly glance around before coming to settle on something.

And that something was Alex.

Alex barely had time to process what was happening as the police yelled, 

“Stop now or we’ll shoot!” the same time as the two men raced over to him. The taller grabbed his loose hair and wretched it back, fitting his other arm around Alex’s waist tightly. The other one pulled out a knife and positioned it at Alex’s neck, pressing down hard enough to cause a thin line of blood. Alex tried to call out in protest, but his hair was ripped back again in warning.

“Don’t shoot or we’ll kill him!” the man holding the knife to Alex’s neck warned. The faces of the police became slightly confused at the entrance of the two new men and Alex probably would’ve found it more amusing if his life wasn’t on the line. “Don’t shoot!” The man repeated, and Alex felt like he should let them know that they’d make the police’s jobs a lot easier if they did kill him. He decided he’d save that information for when there wasn’t a knife to his neck though.

Alex wondered if these dudes even knew that the police were after him. It might’ve changed their whole course of action if they knew that Alex was the wanted one in this situation, but Alex couldn’t help but think more about what must be going through the officers’ heads right about now.

The criminal you’re chasing after suddenly becomes held hostage by two random men. Should you shoot the criminal for committing the crime or shoot the men for endangering someone else’s life? He could make a movie out of this.

Watching the men glare at the police, Alex muddled his brain as to why they even had him at knife point in the first place. It was plausible that they might also have been running from the cops, the blood stains on his attackers' shirts making him shudder. Or they might be undercover FBI agents that needed him for a special secret mission. _Yeah, probably not_ , Alex quickly ruled out that option. He noticed that the taller one was flicking his eyes around as if he was searching for something.

Alex heard the noise of a car engine getting louder and felt the grip on him shift as the men began moving him backwards. He held fast to the black bag and focused on trying not to trip over his own feet. The opening of a door sounded and the man in front of him jerked the knife against his throat for emphasis one last time before Alex was shoved into the car.

Immediately the two other men hopped in and the taller one ordered,

“Go, go, go!” as the driver spun the car around and sped back the way it came. Alex watched a cloud of exhaust puff up behind them as the police finally started shooting, trying to pop the tires on the vehicle. He flinched back as one hit the window next to him before realizing they were bullet proof. _These guys really went all out on their getaway car_ , Alex noted.

He didn’t have too much time to think; however, as one of the men grabbed and tied his wrists behind his back while the other duct taped his mouth shut. He saw the driver glance into the backseat using the mirror and watched as his eyes widened. 

“Woah, woah wait! You guys said nothing about taking a civilian! What the fuck is wrong with you two! We can’t have anymore attention on us then there already is!” He swerved to the side of the road, jerking everyone inside as they dodged another spray of bullets.

“We know, we know,” the man in front of Alex groaned, running a hand down his face. “We were caught off guard and panicked.”

“I do not even know how the police knew we were there in the first place!” Alex shifted nervously.

“Please tell me you guys at least did the job right.” The driver's hands were gripping the wheel so tightly Alex was afraid he might accidentally crush it.

“Of course we did it right who do you think we are?” The crouched man rolled his eyes. “There weren’t any security cameras around and it was pretty dark out, so I don’t think they saw our faces.”

“Yeah well your hostage is getting a nice long look right about now.” The driver pointed out. Alex saw both men glance at him.

“Well… I mean we could always convince him not to say anything.” A strange glint appeared in the man’s eyes when he smiled, giving Alex a glimpse of the knife again. Alex glared at them both in his now silenced state, hoping his death threat was received.

“Don’t give us that look mon cher. We aren’t really going to kill you.” The taller said, his accent more pronounced with the pet name. Alex recognized it as French.

“Yeah, it’s just for a little persuasion.” The other smirked, making Alex roll his eyes. The knife pressed against his cheek, the man trailing it down lightly and making Alex aware of the slight stinging sensation on his neck. It was meant to be threatening, but even coupled with the dangerous look the man was giving, Alex just raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t think he’s amused you guys.”

“Oh be quiet Herc, just focus on driving!” Letting their chatter faze into background noise, Alex focused more on his current situation. More importantly, how he was going to get out of it. 

The police sirens faded more into the distance as the man in the front seat leaned heavily on the gas pedal, throwing the car into sharp turns and obvious shortcuts that would allow them to escape the eyes of the cops.

Testing the ropes bounding his wrists together, Alex found them unforgiving. They were expertly done, especially considering how quickly they were knotted. Realizing he wouldn’t be able to untie himself, Alex subtly moved for the pocket knife he kept in his back jeans.

He made sure to put an indifferent look on his face so as not to signal any of the men as to what he was doing. Carefully, he flipped the blade out and started to saw it gently against the ropes cutting into his skin. Alex worked carefully, as the car still jolted in a different direction every few minutes, although they were starting to slow down to a more reasonable speed. He peered out the tinted windows, only getting small glimpses though with each passing of a streetlight. What unnerved Alex though was that while flashes of streetlights lit up the inside of the car intermittently, the headlights from a passing car were never seen. He tried not to think of how far they were traveling away from the city.

Concluding that nothing outside could be used to his advantage, Alex found he was more interested in looking at his kidnappers than the seldom buildings he could catch scattered outside. 

The one to his right had a mass of dark hair pulled tight atop his head with a few stray curls framing his face. He sported a closely shaven beard that defined his sharp features nicely. His clothes consisted of a black long-sleeved shirt, dark jeans, and tightly laced combat boots, all of which were still covered in blood though the black made it harder to see. The belt that looped around the man’s waist held what looked like a Glock, along with knifes of various sizes.

“Hey, eyes up here.” The Frenchman said with a smirk, tilting Alex’s head up with a finger. Alex jerked his head away from the man, rolling his eyes.

“I’m pretty sure he was just checking out what you’re packing Laf.” The man crouched in front of Alex said, hiding a grin of his own.

“I assure you I’m packing more than enough.” The man, Laf, said. He smiled at Alex with hooded eyes, making the smaller man turn his gaze away.

“Trust me I know.” Alex couldn’t help but wonder if they were just going to make dick jokes all night, as if the past 10 minutes hadn’t happened. Alex leaned back, eyeing up the other man and ignoring the two’s snickering.

The man in question was still crouched in front of him in what couldn’t be a comfortable position, spinning the duct tape roll on his finger. His hair looked like it had originally been in a ponytail, but parts of it were bursting out of the hair tie, wildly curling around his face. The man’s face was spattered with freckles that looked like the constellations Alex would always read about as a kid. Like Laf, he wore an all-black outfit, the only difference being the finger-less leather gloves he adorned. A semi-automatic handgun hung from his waist along with the knife Alex was now well acquainted with.

“Don’t worry, I pack just enough.” The curly haired man said before he and Laf started giggling again. Alex sighed, shaking his head but he couldn’t get rid of the heat flushing his face.

“You guys better not be drunk.” The driver mumbled. “Yo John, Lafayette! Would you quit messing with the kid. My god it’s like working with children.” Alex felt anger flare up in his chest at that because he was most certainly _not_ a child. Laf must have noticed this because he commented,

“Ooh Hercules, I do not think he likes it when you call him a kid.” This gained John’s attention.

“What’dya mean? Isn’t he a kid?” John squinted his eyes at Alex as if attempting to see through him. “Wait, how old are you?” Alex wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do. Did they expect him to blink out his age? 

“John, how do you expect him to answer that?” Lafayette piped up from beside Alex, voicing his exact thoughts.

“I was getting to that part.” John fired back, then grasped a corner of the duct tape keeping Alex’s mouth shut, “Promise not to scream? I mean not because anyone would hear you if you did, but because it’d be really annoying.” Alex nodded his head, he knew screaming wouldn’t help him anyway. Even if someone did hear and save him then what? He would end up in a jail cell by the end of the night.

Alex felt John grip the tape tighter and saw him take a breath.

“Wait, John do you really think this is a goo-“ _RIIIP!_ Alex scrunched up his face in pain as the tape was torn away from his face, leaving a burning sensation that quickly faded.

“Wow not a single sound. That’s a first.” Laf said. Alex clenched his hands behind him so he wouldn't be tempted to rub at his mouth and said,

“I guess you could say I have a tolerance for pain.” Which prompted Hercules to laugh from the driver’s seat. “Also, why duct tape me if no one would hear anyway?”

“Like I said, it’s annoying. Now, age?”

“As far as I know it’s the 21st century, also known as the digital age.” Alex grinned at John as he groaned.

“You’re a cheeky little bastard aren’t you?”

“That’s an odd way to say smartest in the car.” Alex probably shouldn’t be teasing the same people who held his life in their hands, but he couldn’t help it. If something was going to happen he was going to have a little fun before it did.

“Are all conversations with you this fun?” John said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. 

“Well you haven’t put the tape back on my mouth yet, so I assume yes.”

“Don’t tempt me.” John waved the strip of tape in front of Alex’s face.

“Woah calm down there Freckles I just got my voice back. I’m not doing anything wrong.” Lafayette fought back a smile at the annoyed look the nickname caused John.

“You’re getting on my nerves is what you’re doing. And my name is John. Not Freckles.”

“Whatever you say Curly.”

“Ok you know what.” John brought the tape up to Alex’s mouth, but he leaned back and said,

“John! John, I’ll call you John ok? Happy now?” Alex hated not being able to say what he was thinking and if the tape went back on then he wouldn’t be able to defend himself if the three decided to talk about him like he wasn’t there again. John smirked,

“Thank you. Now can you answer what I asked you in the first place,” John gave Alex a stern look. “No tricks?”

“What is this an interrogation? Or are you just checking if you’re gonna get extra years or not for kidnapping a minor?” Alex didn’t really have a reason to withhold his age from them, it’s not like he was giving them his name or social security number, he just felt like messing with his tormentors. 

“We won’t be getting any years, we won’t get caught. Unless you happen to be someone of great importance, then we might use you to earn a couple more bucks." John said, although it held no real intent behind it.

“Well, you’re out of luck there. You might get a solid $10 for me.” Alex didn’t think it was relevant to mention that they would in fact receive a reasonably large sum for him, as he was wanted now in three states. “How old are you guys?” 

“Are you really in a position to be asking us questions?” John challenged.

“Just curious. It’s only fair that you tell me your age as well.” He watched John and Laf exchange glances. Lafayette shrugged.

“Well you still haven’t told us your age, but if it makes you feel better I’m 24 and John is 22.” Laf said, “Oh! And Hercules is 25. He’s basically the Mom of the group.”

“Someone’s gotta keep your asses out of jail.” Hercules grumbled.

“You guys have got to be the weirdest group of criminals ever.” Alex said, shaking his head.

“Hey who says we’re criminals?” John tilted his head which prompted Alex to give him a look. “Just kidding. Of course, we’re criminals.” He laughed. _Yeah no shit_ , Alex thought. “Come on though make it fair. What’s your age?” 

“Fine, I’m 21.”

“Oh my god you really are a kid!” John laughed along with Lafayette and Hercules.

“You are literally one year older than me.” Alex protested, looking at John.

“And you, peach fuzz, were literally just allowed to drink.” John threw back at him.

“Mon dieu, je n'en reviens pas.” Laf continued to giggle next to him.

“Vous êtes tous fous.” Alex mumbled, unaware that he had slipped back into the more familiar tongue. Lafayette suddenly gasped, pulled from his laughing to stare at Alex with wide eyes.

“You- you speak French as well?” he asked hopefully, a huge grin appearing on his face. Alex heard John whisper a small “Oh no.” under his breath before responding,

“Uh yeah, sorry I didn’t realize I said that out loud.” Alex cast his eyes down towards the floor of the car. He could feel the rope now thin enough to break with all his cutting and slipped the knife back into his pocket.

“C'est incroyable! John and Hercules never want to learn French, but now I can have someone to talk to in my mother tongue.” 

“Uh Laf, we’re not keeping him.” John said, placing a hand on Lafayette's knee.

“Oh, but cherie…I… I know.” Slightly crestfallen, Laf still managed to give a small smile to Alex, making his stomach flip for some reason. How are these guys even criminals? They act like toddlers.

Alex felt the strange need to lighten the mood in the car and of course that meant saying the first thing that popped into his head.

“I probably wouldn’t be a good person to talk to in French anyway. I switch too much between French and Spanish when I don’t speak in English, so I’d probably just be confusing.” Then it was Hercules’ turn to say “Oh no.” as John perked up.

“You speak Spanish!” Alex needed to stop talking. Somehow being trilingual was getting him a much bigger reaction than anticipated. 

“Uh yeah, it’s my first language-“

“ Nunca escuché a nadie hablar español desde que me fui mi ciudad natal.” John started to ramble, the same excitement behind his eyes as Laf.

“Oh no! Don’t start him! This is my car, and in my car we speak English por favor, s'il vous plaît.” Hercules said, slowing down and turning off the main road.

“Uh you basically just contradicted yourself.” John mentioned to Hercules, “You said to speak in English and then you went and said please in both spa-.”

“John I will run this car into a ditch.”

“Ok yeah sounds great no more Spanish or French.” John said quickly, shaking his head at Laf and Alex in exasperation.

“He loves us really.” Laf said, placing a hand on Alex’s shoulder who flinched at the unexpected touch. It had been a while since Alex had been this close to anyone.

“Debatable at times.” Hercules grumbled. The car relaxed into a silence after that and Alex could feel himself start to fidget without any noise to focus on. So, he decided to make some of his own.

“Where are we going anyway?” Laf glanced at Alex before returning to his phone where Alex could see him furiously typing in Notes.

“Like we’re going to tell you.” Alex huffed, the breath of air momentarily blowing a few strands of hair out of his face. He wished he could use his hands to push them back behind his ears, or just retie his hair.

“Well are you going to drop me off somewhere or are you taking me to where you hold all your other hosta-“

“Actually chou, I have some questions for you.” Laf interrupted putting his phone down and making John look up from his suspiciously. Alex settled back, wondering what the man could possibly want to know about him. “Why do you appear so calm right now?” Alex was caught off guard at the question as Laf turned to fully face him.

“Uh, would you rather I be screaming and crying for help?” Alex couldn’t grasp the importance of the question. Panicking would get him no where and wasted vital energy he would need for later.

“No, it is just… most others wouldn’t be so bold as to ask us questions so casually. And you seem almost comfortable, as if you’re not in danger at all.” Laf eyed him. John shifted, stretching his legs out as far as they could while sitting on the car floor and said,

“Yeah, we literally put a knife to your throat, forced you into a car, and won’t tell you where we’re taking you.” John and Laf were now looking at him confusedly and even Hercules was glancing back at them through the mirror.

“Are you going to kill me?” Alex said, looking at Laf.

“No.” He said, “I don’t want to have to go through that again.” He mumbled quietly after. Alex turned to John.

“Are you going to torture me?”

“Uh, no.”

“Starve me? Drown me? Beat me? Lock me up forever?”

“No, what the hell?”

“Then why should I be worried?” Alex laughed a little at the strange looks he was receiving. After all, this was better than getting arrested. He was sure that he would find his own way out of this situation even if the time wasn't now. Maybe he would be more panicked if he had someone to go back to, but he had nothing he was responsible for except himself. 

“You are a… strange one.” Laf said, shaking his head and going back to his phone. The bright light illuminating his face and accentuating the patches of dried blood on his cheekbones.

“What are you typing?” Alex prompted, not ready to go back to the silence just yet.

“Things.”

“What kind of t-“

“Shhh,” Laf put a finger up to his lips, “No more questions.” Alex licked his finger, laughing as he watched the man shriek and pull away, a horrified look on his face.

“Ok you’re,” John held his stomach trying to catch his breath, a huge smile plastered on his face, “You’re officially the best hostage we’ve ever taken.” He was lost again to a fit of laughter. 

“John,” Laf whined. “Do not encourage him.” The man in question continued to roll on the floor, unable to properly speak. “John!” Laf stretched out the name again, a pout on his face.

“Children! Children!” Hercules yelled back. Alex couldn’t help the grin that was spread across his face at the chaos. Maybe if circumstances had been different he would’ve been friends with these men. 

“Ok, ok no more.” John wheezed, tears at the corner of his eyes. “My stomach can’t take anymore. Everyone, everyone just be quiet.” And so, the rest of the car ride continued in silence much to Alex’s displeasure, although it was occasionally broken by John’s giggling, resulting in a smack on the head from Laf.

Another hour or so had passed by before Hercules drove the car into a gravel driveway, stopping in the middle of a small clearing. Alex noticed the men's shoulders tense as their relaxed stances became guarded.

“Now get out of my car.” Hercules said.

“We’re going, we’re going.” John assured, and Alex turned his head to the window to take in his new surroundings. Damn, he should’ve been paying more attention to the things they were passing on the way, maybe he could’ve spotted a landmark or something.

Outside of the car there was nothing but woods for miles around and one lone house that stood in the clearing they had pulled into. There weren’t any lights on inside the building and all the curtains had been drawn tight at every window. The outside was a faded blue and besides from a few broken panels on the siding the house seemed to be well kept.

Alex heard the thump of a trunk closing and realized Laf had gotten out of the car and was circling around the other side with the new object he had pulled from the back. The car door closest to Alex was thrown open and John pushed him out onto the gravel. With his hands tied Alex stumbled a bit but managed not to fall. That is until John also came around and kicked the back of his knees, forcing him to kneel on the ground.

“It’s better if you’re already on the ground for this part.” John said, confusing Alex. What were they going to do to him? Through their conversations in the car Alex had partially forgotten that these guys were still criminals and now he was regretting letting his guard down.

“We can not have you see where we take you in the house there’s… too much at stake.” Laf brought into view the object he had retrieved from the trunk and Alex tensed.

“What if you just blind folded me? Or let me go? I won’t tell anyone, I have no one to tell anyways.” Alex tried, but was helpless as he watched Laf open the bottle and pour a small amount of the liquid onto a rag.

“Sorry, can’t do any of that. We didn’t really plan on having a hostage so we’re a little unprepared. Having you unconscious is just easier for us at the moment.” John said. _Well I’m glad this is more convenient for you_ , Alex thought. The ropes around his wrists gave way a bit as he huffed in agitation, reminding him of the advantage, and Alex made a split-second decision.

He was not going to go down willingly.

Pulling his hands apart Alex heard the rope snap and fall to the ground. Standing up straight he spun around quickly, giving John enough time to let out a surprised gasp before he punched him in the jaw. John hit the ground, clutching at his face where a bruise would probably show tomorrow.

Lafayette rushed forward, dropping the bottle and rag to grab onto Alex’s arm harshly. Letting out a yell Alex used his free arm to slam his elbow into the side of Laf’s head. Hard.

“Merde!” Laf stumbled back, the hit making his vision go fuzzy for a few seconds. Alex snatched his bag from the car and tried to run to the woods when John’s leg stuck out, tripping him. He got up to run again, but John ripped his arm back and he felt it pop out of the socket from the force. Letting out a pained yell, Alex barely noticed when his arm was split open as he fell to the ground again, the pain in his other arm overwhelming. He saw the two men surge at him again before he scooped up a handful of rocks and flung them directly at their heads. 

John brought his arm up to block the onslaught and lunged for Alex, his hand closing around the cheap fabric of his shirt. Alex jerked back, knocking away John’s other hand that was reaching for his arm and twisted around. He ducked under the arm clutching his shirt, which forced John to let go to adjust his grip.

While Alex wrestled to get out of John’s hold, Lafayette had grabbed the rag again, carelessly splashing about half the bottle onto it. He raced forward, viciously seizing Alex’s bad arm and trying to hold the rag to his face. 

Alex screamed, adrenaline the only thing keeping him from collapsing, dug into Lafayette’s wrist and wrenched his arm back. Alex thrusted his head out of the way as Lafayette and John collided into each other’s skulls. Cursing and scrunching his brow in pain, Lafayette loosened his hold on Alex, who slipped free and dashed for the tree line. His heart seized up when he saw Laf reach for his gun in anger, but John put a hand on his wrist and gritted out,

“Stop. We can’t.” Reaching around, Alex pulled his pocket knife out again and when he turned around he slammed into a solid wall of something, knocking the bag out of his hand. He looked up at who he guessed was Hercules as the man brought his arms up and trapped Alex in a headlock. 

Alex slashed at Hercules’ arms with the knife, but the man wouldn’t release his hold. If anything, it seemed to get tighter. He saw John and Laf get up and head his way, Laf’s grip on the bottle turning his knuckles white. He was really fucked now.

When they got close enough, Alex gripped Hercules’ biceps with his one good arm, using the leverage to lift himself up and kick out his legs at the two. His foot connected with a shoulder and then both legs were caught by John in a crushing grip. Alex continued to thrash, but John wasn’t letting up. Laf inched closer holding out the rag and as a last resort Alex threw his knife at him.

Unfortunately, in his odd position, Alex’s knife veered off from target, only succeeding in nicking Laf’s arm. With Hercules’ arms keeping his head secure and John holding his legs, Alex realized he truly was unable to escape. He glanced at the black bag that had been dropped just a few feet away. Alex couldn't believe that these were the same men laughing with him in the car just a few minutes ago.

Alex felt himself begin to shake as the realization hit him that he would be unconscious for who knows how long with the pissed off criminals. His breathing sped up and he jerked in every direction. It jostled his already burning shoulder, but he didn’t care, he needed to get away.

“Let go!” Alex screamed, “Lâchez-moi! Déjame ir!” he tried, hoping something would get through to them as he became overwrought with desperation.

“Fuck stay still!” Laf yelled at him, ramming the rag into his face, covering his mouth and nose with it. Alex had limited mobility with Hercules crushing his neck, but that didn’t stop him from trying to throw off Laf’s hand.

Alex attempted to hold his breath for as long as he could, but he was already wheezing with effort from the fight, unable to hold it for long. When his face couldn’t become any redder, Alex let out a pained gasp, immediately being overwhelmed by the smell of chemicals.

_Oh god, oh god I’m going to drown_ , Alex thought. His frantic movements became weaker and his eyelids began to close without his consent. _I’m going to die, lord I’m going to die._ They were mad, and all of this would be for nothing. They would kill him and not lose a second of sleep, god how did he get into this mess! He was in the storm again, spots dotting his vision. Alex let a single tear slide down his face before the threatening waves crashed down and pulled him under the water.

The world went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk if i want to make this into a series just yet, but if i do i might wait a bit until i can be sure i'll be able to post consistently. Let me know if you want to see more or hv any ideas for future chapters!
> 
> Translations:  
> "Mon dieu, je n'en reviens pas" - My god, I can not believe it  
> "Vous êtes tous fous" - You are all crazy  
> "Nunca escuché a nadie hablar español desde que me fui mi ciudad natal" - I've never heard anyone speak Spanish since I left my hometown  
> I relied on my few years of Spanish classes to do the Spanish part but the French is all what I could find online so tell me if either are wrong.


	2. The Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chap happens directly after the guys fight with Alex. A bit shorter than the last one, not as much action, but tell me what you think. Lots of boys having trouble dealing with their emotions up ahead.

John came out of the kitchen holding an ice pack in one hand and rubbing his forehead with the other. Lafayette was spread out on the couch, arm covering his eyes as he tried to block out the light in the room, but he turned his head when he heard John approaching. 

“Thank you love.” He said, reaching for the ice pack John offered him and holding it against his temple in an attempt to stop the pounding in his head. John sat on the arm of the couch and ran his fingers through Lafayette’s hair soothingly,

“Of course. You sure you’re okay? No nausea, right?” Lafayette went to shake his head “no” but stopped when it only aggravated his headache more.

“No, just this damn headache. I feel as if someone is trying to crack my skull open with a hammer.” John frowned at this and said,

“Maybe we should check for a concussion.” But Lafayette waved his hand in the air dismissively.

“I will be fine. Maybe some aspirin would help though.” He suggested. John nodded, leaning down to give his boyfriend a quick peck on his forehead before walking over to the bathroom.

Opening up the bathroom cabinets John scanned the shelves before pulling out the bottle he was looking for. He filled up a cup with water and shook two pills out onto his hand, making his way back to their living room.

“Here you go Laf.” John said gently, handing over the pills and water and watching as Laf downed them both in one go. Lafayette smiled gratefully at him as he leaned back down on the couch, readjusting the ice pack.

“Are you sure you do not want the ice pack for a bit? You got hit in the head as well.” Laf started to hold out the pack, but John pushed it back towards him.

“Your head is pretty hard,” John teased, letting out a small huff of amusement as Laf half-heartedly swatted his arm, “But I’m fine. Your headache is worse than mine.”

John eased himself onto the couch, trying not to jostle Laf and laid his head against the larger man’s chest. They drifted into a relaxed silence as they laid together, the house still and air only being permeated by the occasional sound of branches tapping against the windows. 

If John listened hard enough he could just hear the faint sounds of metal coming from the garage as Hercules locked the car up. However, although the house seemed peaceful in its quiet tranquility, John’s thoughts were anything but calm.

John busied himself with thoughts of a certain dark-haired man, who just happened to also be responsible for the darkening bruise forming on his lower jaw. His emotions ranged from guilt to anger towards the man, but never sympathy. Somehow, John figured the man wouldn’t take kindly to the pitying glances that came with it.

Guilt because John should’ve been paying closer attention to their hostage and he was the reason they got hurt. The reason Laf got hurt. He should have noticed the shift in the smaller man’s shoulders when he began sawing at the ropes, should’ve heard the repetitive shifting of the knife and stopped it. Shouldn’t have let himself be distracted by the man’s wit and intelligent eyes.

Anger at the man for deceiving him and almost getting away. If he had escaped, John was sure they would be compromised within a day or two, all their lives would’ve been jeopardized. He just couldn’t understand the man’s logic. It was clear that they had no intent to harm him, even the man had reiterated that himself! Yet the reckless behavior displayed could’ve rivaled John’s own. John just couldn’t understand why nothing could go his way tonight.

The freckled man huffed in frustration and said, “What are we going to do with him?”

Lafayette brought his arm around John and said,

“I do not know. He knows what we look like and after what just happened I have no doubt that he would put in a word about us with the police.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.” John ran a hand over his face groaning. “I really don’t feel like relocating.” 

“We could use some of that persuasion you were talking about earlier.” Lafayette joked.

“That’s just the problem!” John threw his hands into the air, lowering his voice at Laf’s wince. “He’s not fazed by that stuff. Any other person would be pissing themselves at the sight of us, but he… it’s like he doesn’t even care.” John couldn’t tell if his anger stemmed from the man’s defiance or his total lack of self-preservation.

“We will figure it out amour.” Lafayette pulled the blanket laying over the side of the couch over them both, closing his eyes, “Besides we have more pressing matters at hand.”

“I know. Angie said she and Thomas are coming up soon so they’ll help us plan what to do about Aaron.” John sighed at the name.

“It was not your fault John. You know this right?” Lafayette prompted.

“It feels like it was. If I had been more careful-“

“John it could’ve been any of us. With all the dangerous stuff we do the consequences were bound to catch up with us sometime. But we’ll make it right soon.” Lafayette assured. 

They both heard the garage door close, signaling Hercules had finished locking the car up and listened to him walk up the porch steps. Hercules opened the front door, eyes immediately settling on the two.

“You guys really got beat huh?” In the darkness outside it was hard to make out anything clearer than a silhouette, but in the light of the house Hercules was able to see every blossoming bruise and agitated scratch on his friends’ bodies. 

“Oh, fuck off Herc we were caught off guard.” John glared.

“Yeah sure. You just don’t wanna admit that a little 5 foot whatever just beat both your asses.” Hercules slid down to the floor, setting his back against the couch with his legs out in front of him. “Either of you injured people know where we put the bandages last?”

“Upstairs in John’s room. They’re on the side table.” Lafayette responded automatically. 

“Thanks, Laf.” Herc said, his forearms still bleeding slightly from Alex’s slashing.

“You better not get blood on anything up there!” John called to him.

“What! Can’t hear you! You said I can lay on your bed with my bloody arms?” Hercules pretended not to hear, making John shake his head. Not too long after that; however, Herc came back down into the living room brandishing a roll of gauze.

“You mind helping me with this.” John rolled his eyes but smiled as he gestured Herc over. John shimmied out from under the blanket and took hold of Hercules’ arm, beginning to wrap the gauze around it. Securing the last piece by his elbow John tried to hand the roll back to Herc but was confused when the man pushed it back at him.

“I’m pretty sure the kid ripped his arm open during the fight, might wanna go help him with that.” John scoffed,

“He did that to himself. And he can take care of it by himself when we let him go.”

“John,” Lafayette propped himself up on his elbow, “We can’t just not help after all we did to him.”

“Well he didn’t have to decide to jump us! I mean we were gonna let him go anyway why did he fight back?”

“You can’t exactly expect him to have gone easily.” Herc chimed in. “We kidnapped him and tried to drug him.”

“He was probably just scared John.” Laf placed a hand on John’s shoulder. 

“You mean to tell me you’re not mad at him? After how hard he hit you?” John challenged.

“I would rather him not have hit me so hard, but I can hardly blame him for trying to protect himself.” Lafayette said, feeling more forgiving as the aspirin started to take away the ache in his head. John frowned but turned the roll of gauze around in his hands, falling silent. Standing up, John held out his hand to Lafayette.

“I’m going to go get changed out of these clothes. Coming with?”

“Of course, I will come get undressed with you Laurens.” Lafayette smirked, taking John’s hand.

“We are not fucking, you crazy baguette. You could literally have a concussion.” John huffed in exasperation, tugging Laf onto his feet. He may have put a little more force into the pull than necessary, causing Laf to stumble and fall into his arms. Then it was John’s turn to smirk as he cupped the back of Lafayette’s head and brought him down for a kiss.

“You two are disgustingly sweet. Have some mercy for my poor innocent eyes!” Herc covered his face as he made gagging sounds at the two.

“Oh please Hercules your eyes are less innocent than ours.” Laf stuck his tongue out, following John up the stairs. When Laf entered their shared room; however, he found John sitting on the edge of the bed, head in his hands. The taller walked over to his boyfriend, sitting beside him. “What is the matter mon cher? We will figure out what to do with h-“

“I’m not worried about him.” John cut him off, already knowing who he was referring to. Laf waited for John to elaborate. He knew John had a habit of keeping things bottled up, but sometimes if he was left unprompted he would open up. “It’s about the forest.”

Lafayette bit his lip, the previous events from the night coming back to the front of his mind. His stomach twisted at the memory of the man’s cold eyes, fear-struck expression permanently etched onto his face. The blood still stained their clothes.

“It was a mistake.” Laf whispered, lowering his head. “We shouldn’t dwell too much on it.”

“He had a family!” John shot up, moving to stand in front of the bed. “We-we took him away from- and they won’t even know what happened to him.” Lafayette got up from his spot and took John’s hand to try and calm his racing thoughts. John turned to face him, “I did that.”

“Non, non John you were protecting us. You did not mean for it to happen.” Laf was quick to correct him, holding onto John’s shoulders and forcing him to look into his eyes. “He was going to hurt us, we all saw the gun he had.”

John felt tears start to well up in his eyes and forced them back down. He didn’t deserve the privilege of grieving over someone whose death he was responsible for. 

It had started earlier that night. John, Lafayette, and Hercules had gone out searching for a place to get black out drunk, when they were confronted by a teen. He wore gray sweatpants and a black tank top, despite the cold weather, and although he was shorter than all three of them the man radiated confidence. 

He sported a smug expression as he told the three that he had recently seen them stealing from the armored trucks that transferred money and valuables between banks. As he spoke he used his hand to slick back his purple hair, which had been poorly dyed, and only proved to irritate the three men further.

When the man pulled out his phone to show a picture he had taken of them however, things changed. The teen told them that he wanted at least half of all they stole from the trucks or he would turn them in to the police.

Hercules kindly told the man to “fuck off” and was preparing to smash the phone that was being waved tauntingly in front of their faces. The teen’s face darkened at the words though, even as he chuckled and gave them a malicious grin.

John was the first to notice the man reaching for his gun. Everything had seemed to slow down as John went for his own handgun and brought it from his belt. He had squeezed the trigger even before fully realizing the situation. The shot echoed throughout the street with no one else to hear it and the teen took a step back before collapsing to the ground, the bullet lodged in his chest.

Startled back into action at the sight of blood beginning to puddle, John had pushed his emotions aside in favor of grabbing the man’s arms. Lafayette quickly joined him and grabbed the legs, blood starting to drip onto the both of them in the awkward position. Hercules rushed off to bring the car around and John watched the light fade from the stranger’s eyes, a trickle of blood spilling from the side of his mouth.

He had witnessed death before, hell they all had, and in that moment no remorse was felt as the familiarity of the situation was all too common. None of them had felt anything as they tossed his body into the trunk or when Hercules had handed them both shovels and went to go hide the car. Lafayette had shattered the phone and tossed it in the grave they had dug for the man, before the body was dumped in as well.

Neither John nor Lafayette had said anything as they covered the last of the man’s face with dirt, packing it down and scattering leaves. They left to conceal their shovels in a spot where they could pick them up later, but when they returned to the site they were met with sounds of sirens.

Lafayette and John had frozen at the noise, glancing at each other before breaking into a sprint through the forest. Lafayette became increasingly worried as he entertained the thought that the teen had already given the picture to the police. He hoped the body was covered enough, because if it was ever found they would no doubt be first suspects in the murder, the picture being a prime motive.

John had taken out his phone as the two ran, texting Herc to bring the car around and to be prepared for a quick getaway. Time seemed to blur together after that point, taking a hostage while simultaneously escaping the police made John momentarily forget about the events that had conspired. 

Which brought him to where he was now, crouched on the floor in Lafayette’s arms. Words refused to come to him, so John opted instead to rest his head in the crook of Laf’s neck, closing his eyes. John found himself still clutching tightly to the gauze and looked down at it. It served to remind him of another man’s life he had interrupted tonight.

He hadn’t felt anything when he shot the teen, or when he covered the last of his pale face from the world. That was what scared John the most, becoming accustomed to death, to murder. The emotions he had fought so hard to keep bottled up were forcing cracks in his front, the pressure too much.

There were hands in his hair then and a soft voice that said,

“John, you love me no?” John almost laughed at the absurdity of the question. There was not a single doubt in his mind that he didn’t love Lafayette with all his heart, but he struggled to grasp the importance of the question at a time like this.

“Yes, of course.” John replied.

“And how would you feel if that man had shot me and I was the one who died?” John exhaled, holding onto Lafayette tighter. He knew what Lafayette was trying to do.

“I would never forgive myself.” Lafayette hummed at this, moving back to look John in the eye.

“Darling, I am not saying that killing someone is right, but you cannot blame yourself for tonight. You did what was right to protect the people you love.” Lafayette’s dark, molten eyes gazed into John’s lighter, emerald ones, still shimmering with unshed tears. “You did not go out tonight looking to kill someone. He came at us. Threatened us. Pulled his gun on us.” John tried to look down, but Lafayette brought his gaze back with a finger.

“I do not like the thought of what we took from that man either, but it could have been a lot worse.” Lafayette waited for his words to sink in before moving his thumb to run over John’s cheekbone gently. “Now say that it was not your fault.”

“Laf I-“

“Say it John.” John sighed, taking a breath and finding comfort in Laf’s words.

“It wasn’t my fault.” It didn’t come out as louder than a whisper, but John felt a weight lift off his shoulders when he was done.

“Good, amour. We will get through this. Everything will be okay.” Lafayette pulled John into one final hug before standing up. He offered his hand to John still sitting on the floor, who graciously took it. Then it was Lafayette’s turn to pull John up with more force needed, making the freckled man falter into his arms.

Lafayette leaned down, allowing their noses to touch as he said, “There. Now we are even.” He then placed a peck on John’s lips, hands slipping under the man’s shirt to pull it over his head. “Now why don’t we get changed out of these clothes.”

Lafayette helped John out of his blood-stained clothes, John returning the favor. They both changed into sweatshirt and sweatpants, the cold air from outside insistent on slipping through the walls to chill their bodies.

They left their clothes crumpled on the floor in a heap, and as Lafayette picked leaves from his hair John ventured into the bathroom to try and rid himself of the blood on his hands. It was easy to wash away the smudges of dirt on his palm and the blood only needed some extra scrubbing to come off. The hard part was digging out the dried blood caked under his fingernails, reluctant to go down the drain without a fight.

When John’s hands started to become pink, irritated from all the rubbing, he finally shut the water off and went back to Lafayette. He saw the man still in front of his mirror, straining to see every inch of his head and carefully pulling out any debris that he came across.

John laid down on the bed, Lafayette seemingly oblivious to his arrival, and watched his boyfriend contently. John admired the way that even in baggy clothing he could still see the faint ripple of Lafayette’s muscles. The way his mahogany eyes flicked intently in concentration made John unable to look away.

John was unaware, but Lafayette had noticed his boyfriend’s gaze and decided to tease while they were still alone. Lifting his arms up higher as if he were trying to reach a particularly hard spot, Lafayette subtly arched his back forcing the sweatshirt to ride up and expose a sliver of his back.

John honed in on the small section of skin bared to him, intoxicated with the view. He wondered if Lafayette knew what he did to him. Who was he kidding of course he knew how much he affected him, the sly bastard. John watched the show for a few more moments before making eye contact with Lafayette in the mirror and noticing the man’s smirk.

“You’re doing this on purpose.” John glared. Lafayette laughed, turning around and striding towards John.

“I haven’t the faintest idea of what you are talking about.”

“You’re teasing.” John stated as Laf pulled his arms over his head revealing more of his toned stomach. The Frenchman leaned down, placing his hands on either side of John, and placing his mouth next to his ear.

“And what are you going to do about it?”  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Lafayette and John came back downstairs, hair a bit more disheveled and a lingering red tint to both their faces, they found Hercules waiting for them on the couch.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” He said after taking one look at the two, “You guys can’t even do a simple of a task as getting changed without fucking!” Hercules pinched the bridge of his nose and went back to jotting down something on his notepad, shaking his head.

“I need a snack.” John said, completely ignoring Herc’s comments and heading to the kitchen.

“Grab my strawberries for me!” Lafayette yelled to him.

“Yeah yeah I didn’t forget about you and your fancy cut up fruit.” John replied, rifling through the fridge to find what he needed. Lafayette slumped down onto the couch next to Hercules seeing the man had also changed clothes as well. He now wore a thin tank top and pants because the man never seemed to get cold. 

Lafayette thought of turning on the TV for the news, but decided against it as he already had enough noise in his head and didn't want to break the silence of the house. Mainly his thoughts focused on John, worried about his boyfriend's well being. Though some would protest, a hard life doesn't necessarily equate to having a stone heart, as John reminds him time and time again. Lafayette is almost relieved at the fact, not wanting John to become numb to his emotions, knowing it would crush the man even more. Although he does wish he could shield him from the harshness of their lives sometimes. 

Lafayette himself had caught himself holding back his feelings at times, shoving them into the corner of his mind to be locked up and put away. John had helped him through too many sleepless nights when the memories became too much, but Lafayette was getting better. It was at times like these though when he couldn't bring himself to say anything. Couldn't bare to think about the man's cries for help in his native language, trying anything, begging to be let go. The fearful look in his eyes, almost the same deep panic as the teen from- no he didn't want to think about that.

Rubbing his eyes, Lafayette finally noticed out of the corner of his eye the black backpack thrown haphazardly on the floor beside the couch. He nudged Hercules with his foot, gesturing his hand in the direction of the bag.

“Where did the bag come from? Is it yours?” Hercules shook his head, bending down to pick up the bag before tossing it to Laf.

“Forgot to tell you. Kid dropped it during the fight. I also picked up his knife which is over there.” Herc pointed to a small table beside another chair where there was in fact a small knife.

Lafayette nodded, shifting his attention back to the bag. He examined it, running his fingers over frays near the zippers where strands were coming undone and feeling the considerable weight of it in his lap. He wondered what could possibly be in the bag making it that heavy. Perhaps the man carried many of his belongings with him, he speculated.

Slowly, Lafayette unzipped the bag, aware that Hercules was now watching him from the other side of the couch. Peering into the bag, Lafayette let out a small gasp, eyes blinking in astonishment. This prompted Hercules to also lean over the bag, breathing out a soft “Oh, shit.”

The two men looked up at each other unable to form words. Until Lafayette recovered just enough to say,

“John? You might want to come here please.” There were sounds of cabinets being opened and slammed shut as John yelled back,

“One sec! I could’ve sworn we had dip somewhere in this kitchen.” 

“No John you need to come here now.” Hercules said, coming out of his own initial shock as well. John appeared in the room, looking slightly frustrated and clutching a container of strawberries.

“What’s that?” he said curiously, referring to the black bag. 

“It’s uh, the bag the dude dropped when you guys were fighting.” John raised an eyebrow, confused as to what was causing their dismay. Nevertheless, he still strode over to the couch, looking into the bag for himself.

“What?” John found he couldn’t say much else, unable to voice his thoughts in the moment.

Inside the bag were various amounts of neatly banded stacks of money. The sheer amount of bills pushing on the inside of the bag’s lining made it bulge out in unflattering lumps. The stacks looked to have been carelessly shoved into the bag as the corners of some looked crinkled, but otherwise they were crisp as though they had come straight from the mint.

John reached inside to pull out a stack, taking off the band and using his finger to fan through the wad. Carefully he pulled off the top bill and raised it to the light, testing its authenticity. Confirming that the money was in fact real, he slipped the band back around the money, afraid to mess up the meticulous packing or risk shattering the reality of the moment.

The three men were awestruck. Never had they expected the bag of a random stranger they kidnapped to be filled to the brim with cash. They were having trouble piecing two and two together.

“Maybe… he is a drug dealer?” Lafayette suggested, unable to come up with another explanation.

“No way would a drug dealer carry around this much cash.” Hercules breathed, pulling out his own stack and flipping through it. “He doesn’t look like a drug dealer.”

“I mean, we don’t really look like criminals so.” John countered.

“Is it possible he may have stolen it from a drug dealer?” Laf tried again.

“I think we can out rule the drug dealer stuff Laf.” Herc said.

John rattled his brain for reasons as to why the man currently in their basement would be carrying around so much money. He was absentmindedly tracing the band on the stack with his finger when he noticed something.

The strip binding the bills together read _Revolution Crest Bank_ in curvy bold red font. So, either the man had just emptied out his entire life savings, or he had just robbed a bank.

“Guys,” John said, gaining the other men’s attention, “I think the dude stole this money from the bank.” He pointed out the lettering on the band.

“No way that guy stole all this money by himself.” Hercules said.

“Do you think he was part of a group?” Lafayette asked. 

“I don’t think so.” John spoke up. “There wasn’t anyone with him when we saw him, and he didn’t seem in a hurry to get back to anyone.” There was an elapsed silence as the three gathered their thoughts.

“Why would he need so much money in the first place?” Lafayette said.

“Maybe,” John stared at the bag, “Maybe he was running from something?”

“Or maybe he had to pay a guy back or risk being killed or something.” John and Lafayette both turned to stare at Hercules.

“This isn’t a movie Herc.” John smiled. “And no,” he pointed at the man, cutting him off, “I doubt he’s involved in the mafia.” They really needed to limit the amount of crime movies Hercules was allowed to watch.

“Hey! Mafias are real. And they get a shit ton of money too. It was a plausible reason!” Hercules fired back. Lafayette patted Herc’s shoulder sympathetically and said,

“Perhaps he was on drugs. I have read many stories where people commit crimes after taking them because they are not thinking straight.” 

“Laf, hun, you really gotta get off this drug thing. If he did drugs, all this money would’ve been spent on them by now. And besides we would’ve known if he was on anything during the car ride.” John reasoned, holding up the container of strawberries in peace offering when Laf glared at him.

Laf grinned, opening the container and popping a strawberry into his mouth. He savored the sweet, slightly tart, taste as he thought more about the situation. He flicked the stem of the strawberry back into the container, letting Hercules’ and John’s chattering fade into the background.

“Would it not be easier,” the Frenchman started, finishing off another of the red fruit, “to just get the story from the man himself.” The other two quieted at Laf’s comment, seemingly unaware that was an option.

“I mean, yeah, but do you really think he’s gonna talk to us?” Hercules said. 

“Maybe if we just explained things to him.” John said, hesitantly.

“We kidnapped him! And beat him up and drugged him.” Hercules stated. “And now he’s tied up in our basement!”

“Alright I get it!” John cried, throwing up his hands in surrender and stealing a strawberry from Laf.

“Well, we might start by helping him with his injuries.” Laf said, thinking of ways they could gain the man’s trust. John and Hercules nodded their heads in agreement, but neither made a move to get up. All three seemed reluctant to confront the man again, becoming all too aware of their injuries.

Finally, Hercules sighed, lifting himself off the couch to retrieve the first aid kit. He stood by the door leading to the basement, giving a pointed look to the two still sitting.

“Coming?” he jerked his head in the direction of the door. Lafayette and John glanced at each other, before taking a breath and going to stand behind Hercules. “And please for the love of god,” Herc turned to them, “try to behave.”

“Hey!” John protested. “We’ll behave! We always behave.” Hercules raised an eyebrow, unconvinced.

“Yeah, yeah Johnny whatever you say.” Hercules moved to open the door. “He’s probably awake by now.” He added as an afterthought.

The three moved down the steps, floorboards creaking under their combined weight. The basement was barren except for a few dusty pieces of furniture and a rug. It had never been finished, leaving the floors stained from water damage and the walls peeling with old paint. The only light in the room also had a bad habit of flickering off on its own, meaning the room was pitch black when they reached the bottom.

Lafayette moved his hand alongside the wall, feeling for the switch and flicking it on when he finally found it. The basement was flooded with new light, allowing the group to see the man restrained to a chair in the middle.

The man jerked his face down, squinting at the sudden harsh light and clenching his fists. The three stood still, unknowing of what should come next. They watched as the man’s shoulders tensed.

And then fiery chestnut eyes glared up at them from under a curtain of long hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey look you get to see what happened that night before they met Alex. Also what's going on with Aaron? Lots to be answered I just wanted to show that the three are kinda overwhelmed right now with their problems with Aaron and especially with what's happened to Alex and the teen John killed. Next chapter they finally get to figure out what's going on with Alex and maybe not have it end in a fist fight.


	3. Arguments and Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey! this took a bit longer than expected so I thank anyone whose stuck around. I haven't had a whole lot of time lately but I'm hoping with my winter break coming up that I'll have more time to write and hopefully get out the next chapter quicker than this one. hope you enjoy this chapter!

When Alexander first woke up it took a while to orient himself. His head pounded, and his stomach threatened to come up more than once. He also couldn’t stop the slight shake his body had taken on since he’d opened his eyes.

It was quiet in the room he was in except for a sudden whirring noise that started up every few minutes and never failed to startle him. Darkness shrouded the room making it difficult to see where anything was, so Alexander focused on what he did know to pass the time.

He knew he was tied to a chair but deduced that the chair must have also been tied to something else, as it refused to budge from his movements. It creaked when he shifted, joints stiff after being left in the cold room for so long.

At first, Alex had struggled, looking for a weak spot in the knots tying him to the chair. But just like in the car they were expertly tied and unforgiving. Coarse rope cut into his wrists and ankles, limiting his movement. Another rope was tied around his shoulders, pressing his back into the chair and not allowing him to bend forward.

The hard wood of the chair rubbed against his arms harshly, the gash on his forearm becoming known again as it began to sting and burn. His dislocated shoulder was also being held in a painful position and if Alexander could get a good look at it he was sure it’d be black and blue.

Alexander flexed his fingers as much as he could in the bindings and sighed. He leaned his head back, taking deep breaths in an attempt to stop the sea of uneasiness churning in his gut. He would not further injure his pride by having the men find him with the contents of his stomach down his front.

He knew he shouldn’t have trusted them. Alex wasn’t proud to admit it, but at one point during their short meeting he had grown comfortable around the men. Maybe it was because he hadn’t talked to another human being in such a long time or maybe it was the small look of sincerity he saw on both Lafayette and John’s faces. It didn’t matter anyway, they had lost his trust the second that bottle came into view.

Lafayette had promised they weren’t going to hurt him, but people lie. The people closest to him lied, so why should strangers by any different? He should be used to betrayal by now, but it still caused a deep ache to resonate in his chest each time.

Faint footsteps could be heard upstairs then, clunky and heavy in the way they thumped on the floorboards above. They faded quickly, and Alex hoped they stayed that way. He didn’t particularly feel like seeing any of the men at the moment.

If he just had his pocketknife! Then he could find a way out of the ropes and stand a much better chance at escaping. His knife had been dropped unfortunately, along with his- his bag! Alexander jerked at the thought of it, body straining for it even without it being near. Alex prayed to every deity that it was still laying in the dirt outside the house and that none of the men had bothered to pick it up.

The cash would raise questions Alex didn’t want to answer, but the few personal items would bring up questions he wasn’t ready to face. Alex didn’t have much, but brought with him a few items from his home on the island that he carried everywhere.

They had no monetary value of course, a few pictures, a ring, and some letters, but Alex didn’t want the men snooping through his things. Well, not his things necessarily, they belonged to his Mother before she passed. Oh, if she could see what he’d gotten himself into now.

Alex forced himself to slow his rapid breathing at the thought of her belongings being tampered with by strangers. That was all he had left of her.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alex wasn’t sure, but he had assumed that an hour had gone by before there was movement upstairs again. He was almost relieved at the sound, despising the anxiousness the quiet of the room brought on.

Three pairs of footsteps grew louder with every passing second, until they stopped just outside where Alex guessed the door was. He could hear muffled talking to his left before the door’s hinges creaked and the sound of the stairs groaning met his ears.

Alex could sense when they all reached the bottom, shoes echoing on the cement floor and breathing almost deafening in the too silent room.

Alexander wondered what they could possibly want from him. It must be important since it required all three of the men to come down. Surely if they just wanted to scare him into silence it would only take one or two of them to get the job done? Is it possible they discovered the bag? Did they look inside?

Alexander was so lost in his thoughts that he was unprepared for when a light was turned on and he was blinded with the sheer brightness of it. He dropped his head to his chest, attempting to block out the light. The assault to his eyes brought back the persistent headache that had previously only been a dull pounding. It now raged on his skull, thwacking at it from the inside and making the blood rush in his ears.

Alex had to hold back a groan of pain as he reoriented himself, grateful that the men had at least decided to stay quiet for the time being. When the ache died down into a sharp pulsing behind his eyes Alex brought his eyes up to glare at the three, hoping his anger at them was perceived.

Refusing to be the one to talk first, Alex settled for trying to burn holes into them with his eyes, secretly cheering when Lafayette shifted uncomfortably from his gaze.

Alex could see that Hercules held a first aid kit in one hand as he scrutinized Alex with a critical gaze. It was obvious the man was scanning for injuries, as his eyes paused whenever he found a bruise or blood stain on Alex. When he made eye contact with Alex though, his face stayed impassive, unimpressed at the display of anger Alex was putting on. The irritated man hardened his stare in retaliation, determined to get a reaction.

Lafayette’s face satisfied Alexander much more than Hercules’ though, making up for his neutral expression. Lafayette radiated guilt, fingers twisting, and brows furrowed slightly in concern. Alex stared at the Frenchman intently, forcing him to look him in the eyes just so he could see the man squirm. Alexander held back a smirk at the action. He wanted them to know he was angry, but he knew they still held the position of power here.

John had a calculating expression, narrowing his eyes at Alexander as if trying to see deeper into the man. He showed no fear when he made eye contact, boldly staring Alex down, gaze unwavering. Alex glared right back, both waiting to see who would break away first. Refusing to lose the battle, Alex sat up straighter, watching the fire dance behind the other man’s eyes. Finally, John huffed, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms defensively. _Small wins I guess_ , Alex thought.

The tension in the room was palpable, looming over the four, so fragile they feared that if they breathed too loud it would be broken. Alex waited in anticipation, eager to be able to get out a few choice words at the men. He would let them speak first though; he would take whatever pitiful apology or justification they gave before smashing it to pieces.

Lafayette was the first to speak, surprisingly, moving forward a bit to stand next to Hercules.

“Where are you injured?” he asked, getting straight to the reason of why they came down to the basement in the first place.

Alex blinked. That wasn’t the question he had expected. He didn’t even think his captors were capable of concern. He eyed the first aid kit again, being gripped in Hercules’ hand, before quirking an eyebrow at Lafayette.

“When are you letting me go?” he asked, ignoring the question. John stepped forward, getting a warning glare from Hercules before he spoke,

“After we know we can trust you.” Alex rolled his eyes at this.

“And when will you know that may I ask?” his voice dripped with sarcasm, “I’ve given you no reason not to trust me. You three on the other hand-“

“Listen we’ve got a lot on the line by having you here okay.” John replied, swiftly.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have kidnapped me then.” Alex mumbled, but John continued as if he hadn’t spoken.

“And we’re not letting you leave until we know you won’t sell us out to the cops for giving you a few bruises.”

“W- a few bruises?” Alex laughed at the absurdity of it. “No no, _you_ have a few bruises. Which are looking quite good by the way not to give myself too much praise.” John took a sharp breath as if to argue, but Alex beat him to it, “On the contrary you three decided to try and pound me to a pulp and you’re still only concerned about yourselves!”

Alex wasn’t done yet though. Now that he had started, the flow of words came out steadily, leaving no space for interruptions. Lafayette and Hercules seemed to be watching Alex with a hint of fascination, while John was coiling up inside, ready to spring and release his building animosity against Alex.

“You talk about trust!” Alexander looked pointedly at John, “But then you go and break mine! Promising you wouldn’t hurt me and then pulling the stunt you did.” The fire behind John’s eyes was growing so large Alex could’ve sworn he was seeing a reflection of his own. “And still you don’t even stop to consider how I’m feeling during all of this. You’re so worried about saving your own skins and what? You expect me to do the same and just follow whatever you tell me, so you won’t get in trouble?”

Alexander’s words curled through the air, twisting and lashing out at anything within reach. “So, don’t try to tell me that I’m the one to blame in this situation. Don’t try and make me feel bad because of your idiotic actions and don’t tell me I have to earn my way out of this hellhole!”

Lafayette noticed that while Alex’s face had become increasingly red during his rant, his complexion was suddenly becoming paler than what would be considered healthy. Lafayette was worried that Alex might pass out if he continued.

“I think you should s-” Lafayette started, but stopped when Alex’s voice raised to a yell.

“No, no you let me finish asshole! Don’t I at least deserve that mu- ”

“Hey!” John finally shouted, shifting in front of Lafayette protectively. “You don’t talk to him that way!”

“Oh, sorry are we sparing feelings now? Do we suddenly care about people besides ourselves?” Alex snapped.

“Look we were going to let you go. If you hadn’t attacked us, then you would’ve been gone by now. You didn’t have to swing at us!” John growled back.

“I fucking attacked you because you tried to drug me!” Alexander yelled. “And yeah you promised to let me go.” Alex said mockingly, rolling his eyes. “Well, look where that promise got me! In case you haven’t noticed, I’m tied to a fucking chair! This is the farthest thing from being let go and it would serve you right to get that through your thick skull!”

“You know you should learn when to shut your mouth. You think being tied to a chair would make you realize you shouldn’t be pissing us off!”

“What are you gonna do, kill me? Go ahead, it’ll just be another murder on your hands!” Alex fired back not understanding the harsh damage his words had inflicted.

A sharp intake of breath came from John, who barreled up to Alexander and griped the sides of the chair on either side of the man’s head. Alex flinched slightly at the harsh and sudden movement, but quickly recovered, jutting out his chin in defiance. He was so close Alex could have counted the freckles on his face.

Lafayette was watching John closely, hand twitching to just grab his boyfriend’s arm and pull him back. He knew John’s temper got a bit out of control sometimes and Lafayette didn’t want him to do something he’d regret. Alex was not making it easy though.

“Don’t test me. You wouldn’t be the first.” John said threateningly, taking pleasure in the small flash of fear that shone through Alex’s eyes.

The only light in the room cast warped shadows over John’s face, making his features look sharp and his eyes an unnatural color of green. His hair frizzed out behind him, adding to his wild look and Alex could feel his breath ghosting over his face.

“I’d bet you’d forget about me just like you did to them too.” Alex said, coldly. “Just another mess to clean up huh? Another drop of blood staining your hands, mixing in with the others until it’s unrecognizable.” Alex’s voice had become dangerously calm in comparison to the shouting match he had participated in not a few seconds earlier.

“Ok that’s eno-“Hercules started, realizing that Alex’s words had changed from an outlet for anger into something much more threatening and pernicious. And it was stabbing at all of John’s weak spots.

“It’s just like a game to you isn’t it?” Alex continued, ignoring Hercules. “You don’t care about whose life you ruin as long as it’s convenient for you.”

“No, listen when I-“

“How many mothers never got to see their child again?” Alex narrowed his eyes at John, knowing he had found something to exploit. “How many children still ask when Mom or Dad is coming home?”

“You don’t know-“

“You’re responsible for that. And you’ll be responsible for me to-“

“No, no shut up! Shut up right now!” John yelled and despite himself Alex became quiet. Pressing his mouth into a hard line, Alex knew his words had had their intended effect. “You have no power here! I decide what goes on in this fucking basement, you don’t get to talk back and try and make me feel guilty. I would be doing the world a favor by getting rid of shit like you!” Hercules placed a hand on John’s shoulder.

“C’mon man, go cool down.” John looked as though he wanted to protest, but Lafayette came up and guided him away from Alex.

“Let’s go love. Come sit with me.” Lafayette led John back from the chair to lean against the wall. John huffed, clenching his fists while Lafayette whispered words in his ear.

“But, he’s so _infuriating_!” John hissed.

“I know, I know, but you have to calm down. Look at me.” Lafayette sat in front of John, blocking his view of Alex.

Alex felt the previously receding lightheadedness rush up on him all at once as the adrenaline from the argument dwindled. There was a small sense of pride in his chest at being able to rile up one of his captors so easily, but he couldn’t help but feel a little twinge of guilt he didn’t understand. 

Alex glanced over at the couple by the wall, Lafayette succeeding further in calmer John down, now rubbing his hand along the shorter man’s arms soothingly. It was clear to Alex that the two had a strong relationship, made evident when John came to Lafayette’s defense so quickly moments before and now with the Frenchman working to ease John down from the fight.

Sensing that Hercules was still near, Alex furrowed his brows at the man in irritation. He knew he wouldn’t get a rise out of Hercules like John, so Alex settled for a quiet glare. Hercules had enough experience with stubborn children though, living with Laf and John, and crossed his arms at the man.

“Are you done?” when Alex didn’t respond Hercules sighed, retrieving the first aid kit and kneeling down in front of him. “Just tell me where you’re hurt and then you can go back to giving me the silent treatment like some five-year-old.” Alex huffed at this, not taking kindly to being compared to a child. Although he wasn’t helping his case with the petulant pout he sported.

“Why do you care?” Alex asked, shortly. No matter how hard he tried he couldn’t understand the men. They went from combative to concerned almost too quickly for him to grasp.

It was clear that John hated his guts and Lafayette seemed vaguely concerned for his well-being, but Hercules was indifferent. He was hard for Alex to read as his face remained stoic and he went through the motions of interacting with him as though he was completing a mundane chore.

Alex thought Hercules was an intimidating man naturally, with broad shoulders and muscles the size of his head, but he almost seemed to be making himself less threatening now. He wasn’t towering over Alex, but instead kneeling on the floor. His gaze wasn’t piercing or full of unmasked anger, but neutral and open.

“You know we aren’t heartless monsters, right? We didn’t go out tonight looking to kidnap you. We didn’t want to hurt you, or have you tied down here right now,” Hercules said, “You just gotta give us a little trust.” He paused, “And not get into fights with John every second okay?”

Alexander stayed silent for a few moments, letting Hercules’ words sink in. Maybe it was the fuzziness in his head or the growing concern for his shoulder, but Alex found he couldn’t be angry at the man like he wanted to. He might regret it later, but Alex decided to believe the genuineness in Hercules’ voice. Alexander sighed,

“My shoulder.” 

“Thank you.” Hercules said. He began untying the rope bounding Alex’s shoulders to the chair, Alexander watching his movements critically. Alexander didn’t have to specify which shoulder he was referring to as Hercules figured it out when he brushed against his right and Alex tensed stiffly. “Sorry.”

Hercules carefully lifted Alexander’s shirt sleeve up his arm, revealing the black and blue mess that was now his shoulder. Hercules sucked in a breath and said, “Damn, yeah that’s dislocated.”

“No shit.” Alex grit out. The nausea swirling in his stomach was coming back.

“This is going to hurt okay.”

“Just do it.” Alex said. The anticipation was going to swallow him whole if they waited any longer.

“Deep breath.” Hercules instructed, placing a hand on Alexander’s elbow and another on the top of his injured shoulder. Alexander closed his eyes and breathed in.

“Ok.”

“One, two, -” Hercules jammed the socket back into place with a sickening crunch. Alexander scrunched his face and bit down on his lip to prevent any noise from escaping, causing blood to spill from the new split. A searing pain ripped through his shoulder and fizzled into a sharp stabbing sensation after a few moments.

“You asshole. You didn’t count to three.” Alex said, blinking away at the prickle in his eyes.

“When did I say I was counting to three?” Hercules said, innocently. “Guess that tolerance for pain is gonna really come in handy right now.” Alex let out a puff of air in amusement.

“Guess so.” Alexander glanced at his newly set shoulder, wincing at the splotches of dark bruises covering it. “How do you know you did it right?”

“I’ve set enough shoulders to know it’s in there right.” Hercules assured, flicking his eyes over to Lafayette and John, giving Alex an idea of where he got his ability from. Hercules began wrapping Alex’s shoulder, the shorter man hissing every time he pressed down too hard.

Alexander leaned his head back, taking deep breaths to try and combat the pain. Turning his head a bit he blinked as he saw John staring at him from over Lafayette’s shoulder. Alex furrowed his eyebrows in question at the man, only getting the same expression in response “Ok, where else? You cut your arm, right?”

Alex jumped a bit as Hercules’ voice knocked him out of his stupor. Tearing his eyes away from John he looked back down at Hercules.

“Yeah.” Alex said, instinctively going to lift his arm to show the man, but only succeeding in bringing new pain to the cut as it was rubbed against the chair again.

“Don’t.” Hercules placed a hand on Alex’s wrist. _As if I was going to try and move it again_ , Alex thought bitterly. He saw Hercules move to untie his wrist, then hesitate.

“I’m not going to put the rope back around your shoulders because the one needs to heal. But I am going to take the rope off your arm still. So, don’t try anything.” Hercules said sternly, not wanting Alex to take advantage of his new mobility, no matter how small it was.

“You really think I’m going to try and escape being half tied to a chair and with all three of you down here?” Alex gave Hercules a look.

“Well, you’ve tried crazier.” Hercules pointed out. Alex shrugged his good shoulder; he made a good point.

As Hercules bandaged Alexander’s arm, Lafayette worked to soften the glare John had pointed towards Alex. The Frenchman had managed to calm John down enough to where he wouldn’t pounce on Alex the first second Lafayette’s eyes strayed from him, but Alexander’s words had run deep. Lafayette could tell the death of the teenager earlier in the night was still burdening John no matter how many times he claimed he was fine. It seemed that their conversation from the bedroom wasn’t sticking.

“He could not have known,” Lafayette reasoned, “He was just trying to get under your skin.”

John ran a had through his hair, causing more of the strands to spring free from the band holding them back at the nape of his neck. He took a breath as if he was going to say something, but sighed heavily, choosing instead to look at Lafayette, hoping to convey what he was feeling.

Lafayette pulled John into his lap and wrapped his arms around him. John shifted uncomfortably at the action though, wanting to melt into his boyfriend but not wanting Alex to see him so vulnerable. Lafayette seemed to understand his internal struggle and allowed John to sit next to him instead. John still slipped his hand into the taller man’s though, showing his unspoken gratitude. 

“I… I just don’t want to be seen as a murderer.” John said quietly. Lafayette stared ahead, watching Hercules patch up their pugnacious guest.

“If he knew you, he would not have said that. You are so much more than those irrelevant labels.” John continued to rub the bottom of his shirt between his fingers but squeezed Laf’s hand to show he was still listening. “A murderer kills with intent and malice, but you do it reluctantly and to protect.” Lafayette saw Alexander grimace as Hercules sprayed an antiseptic onto his cut. “With the kind of work we do you still have it in your heart to be upset over things like abandoned puppies.”

“That was one time!” John turned to lightly bat Laf on the shoulder. Lafayette let out a short laugh and turned to face John again.

“I will always love you no matter what you think of yourself, because to me you are everything.” John smiled at Lafayette’s words.

“That was sappy as shit.”

“Well we have to hold up our reputation as sappiest couple do we not?”

“Against who? We’re the only couple in the group.” John laughed. The two were silent for a few minutes before Lafayette spoke up again,

“Are you okay now?”

“Yeah. Yeah I’m okay.” John slowly got up, looking down at Lafayette and waiting for him to do the same. The taller gazed up at John, hesitant to see him go back to Alex, but stood up as well.

They both walked over to where Hercules was retying the rope around Alex’s wrist while Alex looked on, a look of distaste at seeing the rope going back on. Alex watched their advance from the corner of his eye, wondering what their approach would be this time.

“We have some questions we would like to ask you,” Lafayette started, “But first what is your name?” He was tired of calling the man, hostage and wished to put a name to a face.

Alexander didn’t think they would ever ask. He had figured that it wasn’t important to know your hostage personally, unless they were going to keep him longer than he thought. God, he hoped they didn’t want to keep him longer. Alex had expected the first question to be about the bag, and he clutched onto the small possibility that they hadn’t found it still.

“Hamilton.” John rolled his eyes at this.

“You’re so pretentious. You can’t even tell us your first name?”

“I’m not going to be all buddy buddy with you if that’s what you were hoping for. No one calls me by my first name.”

“You must not have many friends then.” John said.

“Questions?” Alex said, looking towards Lafayette, wanting to get it out of the way so they would leave him alone.

“Yes. Why were you on 42nd street tonight?” Alex held Lafayette’s gaze, not wanting the flick of his eyes to give away his lie.

“Was heading back to my apartment.” He said casually.

“At 3:00 a.m.?” Lafayette prodded. Alex could tell the knowing look in Lafayette’s eye; he already knew the truth. He just wanted Alex to admit it. 

“Yes.”

“What part of the city do you live in?” 

“Like I’d tell you where I live.” Alex said, defensively.

“Fair enough.” Lafayette walked a bit, circling the chair before he asked the next question. “Was there a fight wherever you were coming from?” At Alex’s look of confusion Lafayette continued. “You have scratches all over your face and arms.”

“Yeah, those are from you three in case you’d forgotten.” Alex sneered. Lafayette’s mouth quirked up in the corner.

“No, these cuts are thin and uneven. They wouldn’t have been made by the gravel or fists.” Lafayette peered closely at Alex. “And I am sure you had them during the ride here.”

“How can you be so sure? You were looking at your phone most of the time.” Alex hated the feeling of all three men staring down at him; he felt trapped.

“I am fairly confident in my memory,” Lafayette said, “They look very similar to the ones John and myself have as well.”

“Well, that’s cause you idiots were running through the forest. I was just walking down the road.”

“You’re such a fucking liar.” John said, but Lafayette touched his shoulder, silencing him from saying anything further.

“So, you were not in a fight and you did not get them from us.” Alex stared ahead as Lafayette started circling again. “Then where did you get them from?” Alexander looked up at the Frenchman coolly. 

“I was in the woods.” Alex started, and John grinned as if he was going to confess. “The night before, my friends and I went out in the forest and got drunk and the next morning my face was all cut up.”

“Where were you coming from then tonight? The friend’s house?” Lafayette asked, playing along.

“Yes.”

“With a knife in your belt?”

“It’s a shady neighborhood.” 

“And with over $100,000 in your bag.” Alex couldn’t control the short hitch in his breath. He knew Lafayette had him exactly where he wanted him. His eyes flashed away, but Alex kept his face impassive.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Au contraire, I think you do. We found your bag filled with an impressive amount of cash. Unless you picked up the wrong bag at your friend’s house,” Lafayette paused, “Or stole it."

“You obviously already have an idea of what I did so why do you want me to repeat it?” Alex said angrily. He was more annoyed that they treated him like they were trying to coax the truth out of a reluctant child. “You wanna hear it from me? Fine. Yeah, I robbed a bank. That’s where the money came from. And I got the cuts from running through the forest. Happy now?” Lafayette smiled at Alex’s admission.

“Very.” John said smugly from the side.

“So, what do you assholes want then? Want your share or something? What do you gain from this?”

“Well, for one thing,” Hercules piped up, “It gives us a bit of security. When we let you go you’re less likely to go to the cops about us because we’ve got just as much dirt on you now as you do us.”

“Whatever, fine. I wasn’t going to go to the cops anyway about you guys.”

“Because you can’t. They’d lock your ass up as soon as you walked through the door.” John said, grinning at the satisfaction that Alex’s confession brought. “I just can’t believe the police weren’t on your tail as soon as you left the building. Did the bank have that shitty of an alarm system?” 

Alex stopped, perplexed. He eyed John curiously, trying to figure out if he was joking or not.

“What are you talking about? Who do you think I was running through the forest from?” Alex questioned. John halted his laughter, mouth open at Alex as though he wanted to say something but couldn’t quite put the right words together. The other two stopped their ministrations as well.

“…The police were after _you_.” Lafayette said distantly, realization coming over his face.

“Uh, yes? Why do you think they were all at the one street I was on?” Alex watched each of their faces morph into a look of understanding, all the pieces finally clicking into place.

“They weren’t after us.” John said to Lafayette. The freckled man ran a hand over his face before throwing it down in frustration. “Dammit! They weren’t after us! We shouldn’t even be in this situation right now.” He thrust he hand in Alex’s direction. “We didn’t even have to take you as a hostage. We should’ve just let them have you and been on our way!”

“It is not as bad as you think cher.” Lafayette said. “He is not going to lead the police to us and I’m sure they were not aware of what we had done.”

“Wait why were _you_ guys in that forest? Just get back from committing some crazy heist or something.” Alex asked, interested.

“Something like that.” Hercules mumbled. Alex could feel that the atmosphere of the room had changed but couldn’t tell whether it was for worse or not. 

Alex’s headache seemed to come back with a vengeance in the new quietness of the room and he groaned. The nausea still rolled in his stomach every few minutes but it, along with the shaking, had gone down considerably.

Lafayette recognized the symptoms and said,

“Do not worry. That is just the sevoflurane.” He began. “It has some minor side effects. I assume you have a headache and can clearly see your shaking. Do you feel nauseous?” Lafayette felt partly responsible for Alex’s discomfort. Afterall, he hadn’t really been thinking when he poured the sedative onto the cloth he held to Alex’s face and may have poured out a bit too much.

“Yeah, a little.” Alex responded.

“It will go away fully in a few hours. I can get you Advil if you want?” Lafayette proposed.

“Actually, do you think you guys could just untie me so I could lay down? You can even lock the door to the basement or whatever. I won’t try to kill you.”

“Oh well thank you for the reassurance.” John said sarcastically.

“Pleasure.” Alex replied. 

Hercules and Lafayette were eyeing each other skeptically, knowing that untying Alex was a bad idea. And yet they knew Alex wouldn’t try to escape. He wouldn’t leave without his bag and they had hidden that in case the man did get out and decided to go looking for it. Leaving him in the basement untied though could mean that he would wait until they came back down to catch them unprepared. It would be fairly easy for Alex to knock them all out before they even turned the light on.

“How about you can stay in John’s room? The door locked of course.” Lafayette suggested.

“What?! I don’t want him in my room!” John protested.

“You do not even sleep in your own room anyway.” Lafayette pointed out.

“That doesn’t mean I want him in there!” 

“You two are impossible. He can sleep in my room and I’ll sleep in John’s” Hercules compromised. John still looked agitated with the idea but complied grudgingly.

Hercules pulled the ropes off Alexander again, doing his wrists first so that Lafayette could hold them behind his back. Once the ropes were dropped from his ankles, Alex took slight pleasure in the caution he saw in the men’s eyes. _Good_ , he thought, they should be wary of him.

Alex stood up slowly, trying not to jostle his shoulder and still feeling slightly disoriented after sitting for so long. Hercules led the way up the stairs and John followed them from behind with Lafayette in the middle, holding his wrists back. Lafayette used one hand to hold his wrists and another to cover his eyes when they reached the top of the steps.

“Still with this secrecy thing? You already know I’m not gonna tell the police about you guys.” Alex said, now completely relying on Lafayette’s small movements to guide him and trusting he wouldn’t run him into a wall.

“We don’t want you getting familiar with the place.” John said from the back.

It took them a bit to get Alex up the next flight of stairs considering he didn’t have his sight or use of his hands leaving him terribly unbalanced. Lafayette and John waited outside the room as Hercules went inside and gathered any weapons he had laying around. Fortunately, Hercules’ room was in the interior of the house, so they didn’t have to worry about Alex breaking through a window to escape. They would deadbolt the door from the outside and hope he didn’t try to kill them in the morning.

“Ok all clear.” Hercules said, ushering the three inside the room so he could close the door again. 

The first thing Alex noticed about Hercules’ room was that it didn’t have much in it. There was a bed in the middle with neatly folded sheets on top and a wooden dresser to its side. In the corner of the room was a chest filled with different threads and other sewing supplies that Hercules promptly shut and locked. What caught Alex’s eye though was the small bookshelf on the wall.

It was filled with medical and tailoring books, but Alex didn’t care. It had been so long since he was last able to just sit and read. He was always so busy writing his own works that he never stopped to read the words of others. He hoped these guys had a coffee maker because he was going to be up all night.

“I’m gonna go run and get you some new clothes okay. Yours are pretty beat.” Hercules said. “You’re closest to John’s size so-“

“Oh, come on!” John whined.

“John it is just clothes. You are fine.” Lafayette said assuredly. 

Alex felt awkward sitting on the other man’s bed just yet, so the three stood stiffly in the room together, waiting for Hercules to come back. When he finally did, he handed Alex a bundle of clothes and moved towards the door again.

“I don’t have a bathroom connected to my room like these upper-class people over here. So, I hope you don’t have to go during the night.” He joked.

“I’m sure I’ll be fine.” Alex said, itching to get his hands on one of the books.

“Well… see you in the morning I guess.” Hercules said, leaving the room.

“Bonne nuit.” Lafayette said lazily, following Hercules out the door.

“I better not be murdered in my sleep.” John grumbled on his way out. Alexander heard the click of the lock sliding into place as they left and turned to the clothes given to him. It was a simple pair of sweatpants and a plain white t-shirt, but Alex was grateful. His clothes were covered in a mixture of blood and dirt and he was aching to get them off.

The clothes were slightly big on him, as John was more muscular and had just a couple inches on Alex. But who was he to complain, at least they were clean.

Moving his attention back to the bookshelf, Alex grabbed the first book, which was about gunshot wounds, and hopped into the bed to begin his reading. It was quiet in the room, nothing to be heard except the faint sounds of crickets outside and the creaking of the bed as he got comfortable.

Stopping, Alexander realized this was the first time he’d been in a real bed in years. He was in an actual room. No howling wind that could reach him or rain that would pelt him. And despite being in a house with criminals, Alex felt safer than he ever had in the little spots he found on the streets.

Alex rubbed at the end of the gauze on his arm, staring at the pristine whiteness of it against his dirt covered skin. Out of all the things that could have happened to him tonight… he found this wasn’t the worst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> maybe if John and Alex could stop arguing for 5 minutes they could actually get stuff done. hope you liked this chapter, Alex is accepting the boys' help finally and they're starting to accept him too. small steps though. John normally tries to keep his anger in check but Alex can really be an annoying shit sometimes. Next chapter will show them all getting to know each other better and how they all got involved in the crime life.


	4. A Proposition

John found that no matter how hard he tried, sleep refused to come to him that night. He had too many thoughts and questions bustling about in his head that wouldn’t quiet and an unsettled feeling in his gut. He tried to convince himself it was just because Hamilton was in the room directly next to theirs, so close; dangerous.

John stopped hearing the subtle shuffle of Hamilton’s movements through the walls after about an hour, so he only assumed the man had fallen asleep by now. John turned his head to watch Lafayette sleeping peacefully beside him. His eyes traced Lafayette’s features in the dark, admiring the shadows that dipped across his boyfriend’s face. He looked so much younger when he slept.

Carefully, John swung his feet over the edge of the bed, tucking the ends of the covers around Lafayette when the man shifted. He padded lightly across the floor, all too aware of the creaking that came with pressing too hard on the floor boards, and made his way to the desk against the wall. John opened his laptop, quickly dimming the screen before sending one last hurried glance over his shoulder at Lafayette.

He pulled up a search engine and watched as the cursor blinked back at him, waiting for him to type his question. John wasn’t even sure what he wanted to know or what he was hoping to find. He began to type ‘ _missing te-_ ‘before backspacing quickly. Instead he typed ‘ _Hamilton bank robbery_ ’ into the search engine bar.

The results came up inconclusive, various articles popping up titled “ _Hamilton Bank Robbed_ ” or “ _Bank Robbed on Hamilton_ ”. John didn’t even make it to the bottom of the page before he scrolled back up, realizing his search was too vague.

John stared at the blinking cursor again, drumming his fingers against the keyboard as he thought. Finally, he typed ‘ _Revolution Crest Bank robbery NY_ ’. The results were more limited, but there were still many Revolution Crest banks in New York and just as many had been robbed or experienced attempted robbery. With a few more clicks however, John had narrowed down the results to most recent and within the area. One post in particular caught John’s eye. It was posted at 4:34 a.m. that morning.

It was a police report stating that at approximately 2:50a.m. that day, a Revolution Crest Bank was robbed at the corner of Vaughan and Kearn. The report went on to tell a description of the suspect and how much was stolen from the bank. John scrolled through most of it, stopping only when he saw a blurry picture of Hamilton pasted at the bottom. Underneath it the caption read the status: _On the run._

The report didn’t mention a name, but the caption was highlighted blue indicating an attached link. 

John clicked on it.

A list of past crimes lit up the screen with the states they were committed in. Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York. All were looking for a man around 5’6 in stature, long dark brown hair, and slender build who John now knew as Hamilton.

The site also provided officers assigned to the case, some current and others who had dropped it which intrigued John. Underneath the list of names was a boldened sentence.

**Wanted: $50,000**

Next to it read a number for information directly leading to arrest. John read the number over again. $50,000. It certainly was tempting. The call would be anonymous, and John could claim the money under a false name, but…

He glanced over at Lafayette again, the man having shifted since John had rolled out of bed, his arm curled around the warm spot John left. He watched Lafayette’s breaths come out in peaceful puffs, the blankets slowly rising and falling. 

He looked untouchable from John’s position, like fragile porcelain that John wanted to graze his fingers over. John wanted to be next to him, wanted to wrap the covers around him from where they had pooled around his waist. He wanted to watch his eyelids flutter as he dreamed and touch the small wisps of hair that curled around his neck.

This was his life and he wouldn’t trade it for anything. His life with Lafayette. He wouldn’t turn Hamilton in no matter how much the jerk deserved it and how much money he would receive in return. Money that could help him and Lafayette; could help Hercules start his career.

It would put too much of their lives on the line anyway. Criminals shouldn’t go messing around in other criminals’ business. Instead, John scrolled back to the top of the page to read more on Hamilton’s individual law-breaking activities.

The first was a small convenient store in Pennsylvania. Apparently, the only worker on shift had stepped away and Hamilton had taken all the money in the register and wiped the five minutes he was there off the security tapes. Three witnesses, one of them the employee coming back from his break, all gave similar descriptions of Hamilton, confirming he committed the act.

The second was also in Pennsylvania and was another bank robbery. The security system was disabled, and the key pads were hacked into, leaving the bank defenseless except for the perimeter cameras and security guards, all of which had Hamilton in their sights. The short video clip the cameras had caught was posted beneath the description, showing Hamilton hastily running from a security guard with the same black bag in hand. _Sloppy_ , John thought.

The next few told of a couple ATM robberies in New Jersey and the most recent bank heist in New York. The descriptions seemed to all have a common theme however, with the security footage either being erased or disabled. Encrypted locks were infiltrated, and data was missing. _He’s good with tech_ , John pondered.

John leaned back in his chair, thinking. He had tried a hand at disabling and hacking camera footage before, but he was no where near as talented or as quick as Hamilton was with it. It could prove… useful. Hercules wasn’t really a tech guy and Lafayette could only maybe hack a computer if given enough time.

John thought back to the reward money and multiple warrants out for Hamilton’s arrest in various states and an idea was formed. Hamilton had lied earlier in the car it seemed, saying he wasn’t worth much as a hostage. _Maybe not as a hostage_ , John thought, _but I can use this information in another way._

John bookmarked the page and shutdown the laptop, feeling much more secure than he had a few hours ago. 

Carefully, he slipped back under the covers next to Lafayette, curling into his lover. John would tell him his plan in the morning. John let himself be lulled to sleep by the beating of Lafayette’s heart, thinking of a certain sharp-tongued criminal.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Lafayette woke up to the low sound of Hercules’ singing early the next morning. He must be making breakfast already, Lafayette thought. Slowly, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stretched his arms over his head before gazing down at his boyfriend.

John was still fast asleep, hands gripped tightly to the blanket Lafayette had just shrugged off and mouth partly open. Lafayette couldn’t contain the smile that spread across his face and reached out a hand to graze it down John’s cheek, his freckles dancing in the morning sunlight.

Lafayette decided that although he would love to stare at his boyfriend forever, he should wake him up soon in time for breakfast. Quietly slipping out of bed, Lafayette leaned down to where he had discarded his shoes the previous night. Tugging out a shoelace from the shoe, Lafayette walked to the other side of the bed.

Dangling the shoelace above John’s face, he carefully trailed it across the bridge of John’s nose.

“JOHN! There is a spider on your face!” Lafayette yelled, using a hand to cover his mouth from laughing when John jolted awake, slapping a hand to his face, and promptly falling out of bed.

Lafayette sank to the floor beside John, shoulders shaking and eyes crinkling as loud laughter poured from him. John glared at him, trying to untangle himself from the blankets.

“What the hell is wrong with you!” John rumbled, voice still raspy from sleep. Lafayette didn’t answer though, still trying to get control of his giggling. “Yeah, you’re a real comedian.” John rolled his eyes.

“I-I am sorry!” Lafayette said, bursting into laughter again as he saw John’s agitated face.

“No, you’re not.”

“No, I’m not!” Lafayette fell into another round of snickering.

“It wasn’t that funny.” John said but smiled despite himself at Lafayette’s obvious joy. Behind his uncontrollable boyfriend, John spotted the laptop still sitting atop the desk and remembered that he needed to tell Lafayette about what he had found. Although from the looks of it, Lafayette wasn’t going to be taking him seriously anytime soon.

After a few more pits of laughter, Lafayette took a deep breath and looked back at John, grin still wide on his face.

“Are you done?”

“Yes, yes I am done now.” Lafayette let out a quick breath of air as he eyed the shoelace again, but quickly turned his focus back to John.

“Good, because I have something to tell you.” Lafayette raised his eyebrows in response, intrigued. “It might take a bit. Let me grab my laptop.” John hoisted himself from the ground as Lafayette did the same.

Plopping down into the center of the bed, John placed the laptop between the two of them and turned towards Lafayette. “Ok, so I couldn’t get to sleep last night because I was just thinking about a lot,” He started, running a hand through his hair and Lafayette nodded understandingly. “And I was searching up some stuff because, well I don’t know I just felt like there was maybe more to Hamilton’s story.”

Lafayette eyed the laptop, watching John’s fingers nervously trace the top as he talked. “So, I found this…” John trailed off, opening the laptop and going to the page he had bookmarked the previous night. He turned the laptop so that Lafayette could read the screen.

“You searched his criminal record?” Lafayette asked, scanning over Hamilton’s past offensives. After reading through everything Lafayette looked back up to John who flicked his eyes back to the screen, scrolling to the bottom of the page. Lafayette’s eyes widened.

“Quoi- $50,000?” his voice raised at the end, almost not believing what he was seeing. He would never have guessed the scrappy young man currently one room down would have such a tainted criminal history.

“Right!” John huffed, leaning back against the headboard, “We can’t turn him in though.”

“Of course.” Lafayette understood the situation that would put them in and something didn’t sit right with him at the thought of turning the man over to the police. “Is there more you wanted to tell?” 

“Yeah,” John said, “You notice how in all the things Hamilton’s done the security footage has been tampered with or something?” Lafayette nodded. “He’s good with tech. Hacking cameras and locks and into systems and stuff.”

John idly scrolled through the list on the laptop as he thought. “So, I was thinking he might be able to… help.”

“Help with what?” Lafayette asked suspiciously.

“Ok well we need someone to get rid of the footage at the prison and there’ll probably be a ton of security that we’ll need to get past-“

“John.” Lafayette interrupted, and John snapped his mouth shut. “I know you are thinking of ways to help Aaron in anyway possible, but… do you really think it is a good idea to bring Hamilton into this. We barely know the man.”

“I think we should try and get anything that’ll help Aaron,” John said, “And Hamilton can help us get him out.” Lafayette sighed. He knew John still felt guilty about what had happened that night with Burr.

_“Are we sure this’ll work?” Angelica said skeptically, hands on her hips as she eyed Thomas._

_“You worry too much. This plan is practically flawless. And we’ll get a nice sum of cash for it too.” Thomas shot back, smirking._

_“Okay, but have you entertained the idea that there will be guards protecting these trucks. These are priceless ancient artifacts were talking about.” Angelica said._

_“I think it just adds to the fun.” John commented from the back._

_“You be quiet,” Angelica fired over her shoulder, “Thomas, we haven’t disabled any security, our faces aren’t covered, and how are we planning to get around all the guards. We are in broad daylight!”_

_“I know it was a little spur of the moment,” Thomas said, “But trust me, we’ll figure it out like we always do. My guy already has our piece waiting for us when we get back with the artifacts.”_

_“And let’s say your ‘flawless’ plan fails?” Angelica raises an eyebrow._

_“We’ll just speed out of there real quick and lose them in the forest like we always do.” Thomas said casually, switching so that he had one arm out the window of the car and the other leisurely steering the car._

_“I think we should have thought out the plan a bit more.” Aaron piped up from his spot next to John._

_“You guys aren’t getting it,” Thomas said, “The museum has a new shipment of artifacts coming in from Europe. Hercules, Lafayette and myself are going to take care of any guards or people who get in our way while the rest of you load the boxes from the trucks into our van.” The car stopped as the light turned red and Thomas leaned back in his seat to see the group sitting in the back of the car. “Simple.”_

_“You’ve got a lot of holes in your 'simple' plan.” Angelica said from her spot in the passenger seat._

_“Angelica, this isn’t Fort Knox. It isn’t going to be completely fortified. They’re just unloading boxes into an open museum.” Thomas said._

_“Well, if we are doing this we should get ready.” Hercules said, and the rest of the group reluctantly started gathering their stuff._

_Aaron tied a bandana around the lower half of his face, not comfortable with the chance his identity could be caught on camera. Angelica tied her hair back and Hercules handed up her knife which she secured to her belt. Hercules also slipped his own knife into the side of his boot, watching Lafayette do the same._

_John hadn’t brought anything as he was confident there wouldn’t be much fighting, but he did always have his pistol under the seat if things got too intense. John looked over and saw Lafayette sliding on his brass knuckles. Lafayette had told him that besides from packing one hell of a punch he wore them because he liked the way they looked. John rolled his eyes just thinking about it and when he looked back over, Lafayette was smirking and twisting his hand at him, the light gleaming off the metal. John felt a smile creep onto his face at the action no matter how much he tried to fight it._

_John pulled the hair tie off his own wrist and pulled his hair back as they pulled up to the back of the museum. Thomas made sure to park in the back, out of view of the trucks currently being unloaded by a few workers in bright blue vests._

_Just as Angelica had predicted, there were guards posted at each of the three delivery trucks, although they seemed to be chatting with each other and not paying close attention to anything else._

_The group waited in the car for a few minutes, looking for an opportunity. The workers had apparently loaded enough boxes onto the cart and they began pushing it into the back entrance of the museum, leaving only the guards._

_“You guys should go now.” John said. Thomas, Hercules and Lafayette nodded, moving out of the car. “Hey,” John said, and Lafayette turned around, “Be careful.”_

_“You know I always am.” Lafayette smiled, placing a chaste kiss on John’s lips before jogging to catch up with Hercules and Thomas._

_John scanned the guards and while not all of them carried one, a select few had guns hung around their waists._

_“You two are sickeningly cute.” Angelica muttered, and Aaron hummed in affirmation._

_“I think you two might just be jealous. It’s okay to admit it, no judgement here.” John joked, but his eyes stayed glued to the three figures moving closer to the guards._

_“Do you see any cameras?” Aaron asked, ignoring the comment. The three’s eyes swept over the building._

_“I see one on the left corner.” Angelica pointed out._

_“There’s a wire that runs down the wall,” Aaron said, “That shouldn’t take me too long.”_

_“And if it comes to it you can just cut the wire.” John said and Aaron tsked showing his clear dislike for the idea._

_Meanwhile, Thomas, Hercules and Lafayette stooped low behind a row of bushes. They scrutinized the guards from their position._

_“They’ll see us if we rush up on them like this.” Hercules said, eyeing the two guards facing their direction._

_“If we run quick enough, they won’t have enough time to react.” Thomas said. “They’re not paying attention.”_

_“They have guns.” Lafayette stated, shifting on his feet._

_“Look,” Thomas pointed up a little ways, “If we can get behind those dumpsters and towards the front of the trucks we can come down the sides and catch them off guard.”_

_“What if the workers see us?” Hercules asked._

_“We’ll just have to hope they’re still unloading the boxes and don’t come out for a few more minutes. Be fast.” Thomas said and started moving before Hercules or Lafayette could protest._

_They ran up the side of the dumpsters and to the front of the trucks, staying light on their feet. Thomas nodded at the two before running alongside the nearest truck and Hercules and Lafayette followed suit, coming from different sides._

_The three burst from their places and the guards were only able to give a confused look before the men descended on them._

_Lafayette sucked in a breath as he brought his fist up to the first guard’s chin, snapping their head back. He felt the familiar twinge of adrenaline begin to course through him and he quickly jammed his elbow into the guard’s temple, knocking them unconscious._

_Hercules had zoned in on the two guards with guns in their holsters, wanting to take them out first. He swung his fist towards the first one, making him stumble back a few steps. Hercules used his leg to knock him off balance more and swept him to the ground. He spun around to face the second guard, taking a solid hit to the chest, but quickly regaining his stance._

_Thomas had grabbed the hair of the closest person and slammed a knee to their face, making them stagger and fall to the ground. Bringing the toe of his shoe to the side of the man’s head, Thomas turned back around to help Lafayette and Hercules._

_They took a few hard hits and had a couple close calls, but they had managed to take out all the guards and were breathing heavily as they surveyed the bodies lying at their feet._

_“See. Easy.” Thomas huffed, grinning. Lafayette rolled his eyes,_

_“Yes ami. Easy.” He mocked. Hercules waved his arm in the direction of the car, signaling the rest of the group that it was safe to come over.  
Angelica, John, and Aaron ran over, stopping to take in the sight of the guards now scattered around the pavement._

_“Good job you guys.” John breathed, smiling widely at Lafayette who held up a hand._

_“It is all in the knuckles.” His mouth tilted up at the end._

_“Save it for later,” Angelica said, “You three better go stand watch and make sure anyone who sees us doesn’t get away. And Aaron go get that camera.”  
Aaron nodded and scampered off to disable the camera while Lafayette, Hercules and Thomas moved to stand around the trucks, keeping an eye out for returning workers._

_Angelica and John grabbed the first two boxes near the end of the truck, grunting under their weight and headed back to the van to load them into the back.  
John couldn’t help but glance around every few seconds, not used to doing this kind of thing during the day. He was all too aware that anyone could walk by and see them. Angelica seemed to share his unease, for after the fourth trip she said,_

_“I think we have enough. Let’s go.” Thomas; however, wasn’t willing to leave just yet._

_“A few more. Then we’ll go. The workers won’t come out for another couple minutes I’m sure of it.” Angelica hesitated at Thomas’ words, but John just shook his head and grabbed another box, practically sprinting back to the car._

_However, no matter how sure Thomas was that the museum workers would stay inside for more time, one lone man inevitably strolled out and stopped in his tracks. The three on watch were frozen to their spots as they watched the man’s eyes dart from the unconscious guards to John and Angelica, and then back to them._

_Within a second, the man had turned on his heel, pulling his phone from his pocket as he made a run back towards the entrance. Without missing a beat, John dropped the box he had been holding, a shattering sound emitting from it as it hit the concrete and raced after the worker._

_“John no!” Lafayette yelled, but his boyfriend was already out of sight._

_“Move!” Hercules shouted and added over his shoulder, “Aaron!”_

_Instead of following the rest of the group though, Burr had let out a sigh before doing something he knew he would regret later._

_He ran after John._

_Lafayette wished to run into the building as well, but Hercules was pulling him back._

_“Aarons got him! Come on!”_

_While the rest of the group piled into the van, John had cornered the man in a nearby hallway. The man had begun to call 911, but John wouldn’t let him finish the call. He quickly dived at the man, knocking the phone from his hand and sending a right hook to the side of his face._

_“Stop!” the man yelled, trying to get out of John’s grip, “Fuck off! Help!” In all the commotion and noise they were making the remaining workers came to see what all the fuss was about._

_John soon had his arms behind his back as the workers yelled frantically for more guards. The man’s phone from before was lying cracked on the ground next to John, the 911 operator’s voice could be heard coming through the speaker, and John quickly brought his foot down on it._

_John shoved back against the guard restraining him, hoping to throw him off balance when another weight rammed into the guard. John backed away, eyes widening as he saw Aaron on the floor, struggling to hold down the surprised guard._

_“Go!” Aaron gritted out, but John stayed planted where he was._

_“No! Just get u-“_

_“I said go John!” Aaron shouted, spotting more security rounding the corner._

_John swallowed. He knew he wouldn’t be able to take out many of the men before they were overwhelmed, and both caught. He spread his stance wider, preparing for a fight nonetheless when he heard Aaron try screaming at him one last time, “John, goddammit leave! Please!”_

_Something was different in Aaron’s voice this time, however. The raw desperation that seeped from his friend’s plea made John turn to look him in the eyes. Time felt slower now. Aaron’s face was pressed close to the officer’s as they battled for the upper hand, close enough to feel the heaving breaths of the other man. John could see the sweat that dripped down the side of his friend’s face, creating a trail that curved around his eyebrow and down his temple._

_Through the struggle, Aaron was still able to catch John’s gaze from the corner of his eye. John watched a million emotions flash through the man’s eyes in that second, but the one that shined through the most was acceptance. John felt sick._

_Aaron had accepted the situation. Accepted that fact that he was sacrificing himself to save John. He would go to jail most likely for a good portion of his life, longer if they connected him to various other crimes._

_But Aaron had always felt a need to risk himself for the team. Maybe it was because he felt he had nothing to lose in comparison to everyone else or possibly because of the stubborn loyalty he had for his friends. In that way Aaron could be considered the most reckless of the group even compared to John._

_Before he knew what he was doing, John had spun around and drove his shoulder into an incoming officer’s chest. Then, without a glance back, he sprinted for the exit._

_The footsteps of the security racing after him echoed in John’s ears and he willed his legs to move faster. He saw the van, already moving slowly on the street with Lafayette holding the door open._

_John hopped into the car, clumsily sliding over Lafayette to the middle side where he was met with confused gazes._

_“Where’s Aaron?” Lafayette asked, but John didn’t answer. Couldn’t answer. Instead he squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head violently and yelled,_

_“Just- just drive!” Thomas hesitated before slamming on the gas pedal. The back wheels spun for a few moments before gaining traction on the road and speeding the car forward._

_John turned back to look out the rear of the car, seeing more police cars arriving, their red and blue flashing burning his eyes. Officers were pouring into the museum and an ambulance skidded into the parking lot, EMTs rushing to help the injured._

_John felt a hand lay over his where he was unconsciously digging his nails into his wrist. He loosened his grip on his wrist and looked to where Lafayette was now staring at him, concerned. John let out a silent sigh, dropping his gaze back to the crescent shaped indents he had inflicted on his arm. He didn’t want to talk about it._

_The rest of the group, already having put together the pieces about what may have happened, was unnervingly silent, except Thomas who would let out small curses every once and a while as he tried to lose the cops. However, even Thomas seemed to be gripping the steering wheel tighter than usual at the absence of their sixth member._

_When they had pulled up to the house about an hour later no one got out of the car. Angelica, who had been angrily twirling her knife the whole ride, stopped and clenched it in her fist. Swiftly, she twisted to look at everyone in the car, brandishing the knife as she pointed to them,_

_“We’re going to get him back.”_

Somehow John had convinced Lafayette to let Hamilton help them in their plan to get Aaron. Lafayette had agreed grudgingly, promising John that if he suspected Hamilton at any time to be a threat to their small family he would be going back in the basement.

Hercules understandably showed the same wariness for John’s idea as Lafayette had. He didn’t want to get involved in Hamilton’s extensive criminal record and risk putting themselves on the cops’ radar.

“Herc, look I know we barely know him and I know he’s dangerous and I know he’s got a huge record-“

“You’re not really helping your case here,” Hercules said. The three sat around the small kitchen table, Hercules holding his mug of coffee close to his chest while his head rested in his other hand. He and Lafayette watched passively as John stood before them, a determined look in his eye.

“But we’ve lost a team member. We lost Aaron, our friend,” John emphasized, “And I know you both would try anything and everything if it was me that had been arrested and he would do the same for any of us.”

“But we’re no help to Aaron if Hamilton stabs us in the back at the first sliver of trust we throw him.” Hercules retorted.

“We’re not trusting him,” John said, “We’re trusting in the fact that he’s going to do whatever it takes to stay out of a jail cell.”

“He’s got a thing with tech,” John continued.

“So, you’ve mentioned.”

“And with the skills he has, it would boost our chances of breaking Aaron out and leaving no trace behind.” John sighed, moving to sit down in his forgotten chair. He cracked his knuckles, staring at his hands, “I know it seems reckless and impulsive.”

“And stupid.” Lafayette tacked on with a smile.

“Yeah, yeah and stupid.” John grinned, “But I know this will help us. Maybe it’s just guilt, but I can’t stand the thought of anyone getting hurt protecting me.” John looked Lafayette in the eye. “I have to make this right.”

A silence had fallen over the table, not laced with tension, but instead a muted acceptance.

“You’re right in that he has capabilities no one else on our team has.” Hercules spoke up. “And I think if we wanna break into an extremely high-tech prison, with multiple security systems in place and still make it out alive,” he paused, “then we’re gonna need his help.”

John’s face broke out into a grin letting out a relived laugh as Lafayette spoke,

“Now the only question is who will tell him of the plan?”  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Alexander sat on the floor of Hercules’ room, humming quietly as he twisted one of his bobby pins into the lock that kept shut the chest in the corner of the room. It was a fairly primitive and basic lock by Alexander’s standards, one that he had known how to pick since his mother locked up the sweets back on Nevis.

The distinct click as the clasp unlocked was still enough for Alex’s heart to skip a beat ;however, no matter how many times he’d done it before. Shoving the bent pin back into his pocket, Alexander wondered why the men hadn’t bothered to check him for more weapons. He could have picked the lock on the doorknob by now and killed them all in their sleep, but Alex found more then a few problems with that.

Firstly, he had no idea where he was and didn’t know if it was even safe yet to show his face outside. As for the murdering in their sleep thing, Alex had never liked the idea of killing. Hell, he wouldn’t hurt anyone unless they provoked him first.

Alexander would have liked to explore the place he was staying and look for possible exits, but he could acutely hear the taps of a keyboard well into the night, meaning that someone was still up in the house and likely to catch him if he made a sound.

So, Alex was reduced to devouring the words of a small pile of books that had accumulated next to the bed and of course breaking into the chest.

If a normal person had glanced into the chest, they would have seen nothing but plain sewing supplies. Needles, pin cushions, fabrics, threads. But to Alexander, it was exactly what he had been hoping for. 

He grinned as he pulled out a sizeable fabric cutter, gently spinning the blade with his finger and watching as it glinted in the harsh lights of the room. Alexander knew this one would be better if the men decided to hurt him again, but knew if he wished to conceal it believably, he would have to pick a smaller one.

Placing the cutter back in its original position, Alexander picked up a smaller, though not any less dangerous, cutter. He fastened a new rotary blade onto his acquired weapon and removed the protective cover.

After using a roll of tape to secure the blade to his leg, Alexander was left again with finding ways to occupy himself. He could hear the three talking downstairs and hoped they would come get him soon for fear he might die of boredom.

Gazing around the room, Alexander suddenly smirked. The men could come up at any minute, but judging from the intensity of their voices, Alex guessed he had at least ten before any of them decided to check on him.

He only needed five.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
“Go on Herc, it’s your room after all you should open it,” John said gesturing towards the door. Hercules glared at the man, rolling his eyes and producing the key from his pocket.

“Yeah, yeah Johnny if I die it’ll be on your conscience.” John shrugged, tensing as Hercules stuck the key into the keyhole and turned. Hercules’ brows furrowed in confusion at the noticeable absence of a click that would signal the door unlocking.

He turned the key again, getting no resistance from a lock.

“What’s wrong?” Lafayette asked.

“There’s something wrong.” Hercules trailed, deciding to push the door open despite the sickening feeling in his gut.

“Wait-“ John started, but his breath caught when the door opened to reveal an empty room. Their eyes swept the room frantically but found nothing out of place, almost as if no one had been in the room at all.

“Where is he?” John asked, slowly making his way into the room.

“You do not think he,” Lafayette circled the bed, hand tracing absently on the wall, “got out? Do you?”

“We would’ve heard him,” Hercules said, though unsure.

“Wait, look.” Lafayette pointed towards the floor near the door where a few screws were scattered. It seemed that they had been taken out of the doorknob from the inside as the knob hung crookedly in its place without the support.

“Oh, god.” John said, taking a step back towards the bed.

“Are all the doors locked?” Hercules asked, his panic increasing.

“Why does it matter?” John scoffed, “Not like a lock stopped him now.” He referenced the screws strewn across the ground.

“And the doors to our rooms are not locked. And they have windows.” Lafayette added. The three came to stand in the middle of the room.

“Go check the bedrooms,” Hercules said to Lafayette then to John, “You go check downstairs and I’ll check outside.” Nodding, John and Lafayette raced to search the house while Hercules went to check the perimeter.

After the men had left the room a small snort came from underneath the bed. Alex wiggled himself out from under it, grinning madly and desperately trying to hold in his laughter. Patting the fabric cutter on his leg, Alex glanced out the room, making sure no one was around before scurrying out.

He knew Lafayette would be occupied with the rooms upstairs and Hercules would be easy to slip by as he had so much ground to cover. Getting past John though would be his biggest challenge.

Alexander crept down the stairs, staying on the edge so they wouldn’t creak. As he got farther down, he spotted his bag lying on the couch. Right next to the front door.

Alex could see John rushing about locking windows and could hear the heavy footsteps of Lafayette above him. Breathing out slowly, Alex slinked his way through the room towards his bag, making sure John wasn’t in sight.

Every step caused his heart to beat painfully he was afraid the men might be able to hear it banging against his rib cage. His bag felt like an eternity away, the short route across the room’s floor becoming a stretching expanse reaching on for miles.

Finally gripping the strap to the black bag felt surreal to Alex, and the heavy weight he slung over his shoulder was comforting in a way.

He raced towards the front door, quietness be damned, and slid back the deadbolt. The pounding in his ears became louder, but it wasn’t because of his anxious heartbeat.

Alex turned to find John running towards him in a frenzy and flung open the door.

“Hamilton! Herc get him!” Hearing the commotion, Hercules turned and started barreling in Alex’s direction. Alexander knew there wasn’t enough time to get past Hercules as the space between him and the front door was rapidly closing, and so he turned to find another exit.

Ducking under John’s grasping arms, Alex skidded on the floor and plucked up a ceramic vase from a side table. He hurled the vase through the air and watched as it crashed through a window sending down a glittering array of broken glass and ceramic chips.

Alexander glanced over his shoulder, seeing the two’s snarling faces as he sprinted for the broken window. Whipping his head back around, Alex suddenly collided with a broad chest and he was sent tumbling to the ground. His wounds which had previously only been emitting an annoying throb flared up again, shooting fire through his arms.

“Where do you think you are going cher?” Lafayette’s voice dripped with venom as he stood over Alexander. Any attempts Alex made to get up were thwarted by Hercules and John who roughly snatched Alexander’s arms and pinned them to the ground.

“Well that was easier than last time.” Hercules huffed, keeping his grip tight as Alexander thrashed and threw his head about. “Stop!”

“Fuck off!” Alexander seethed, continuing to try and dislodge the men.

Hercules pressed down on Hamilton’s shoulder where he knew it was still sore and Alexander’s face scrunched up in pain, letting out a frustrated yell before falling limp.

Hamilton’s heavy pants filled the room, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He glared at John but the man in question simply raised an eyebrow.

Laurens was too busy studying Hamilton’s face to care. His cheekbones were painted high with bright red and a few strands of hair had come to lay in front of his eyes. The same eyes which entranced John now with a hurricane swirling below the surface.

“Get. Off.” Hamilton demanded after catching his breath.

“No, you see we cannot do that because once again you’ve taken our trust and soiled it.” Lafayette said.

“I wasn’t going to the police.” Alexander groaned. “I simply wish to leave and not be held captive any longer.”

“Oh, you can leave.” John interjected. “Right after you help us with a little something.”

“John this really isn’t the time.” Hercules said.

“It’s clear he needs some incentive to stay does he not?” John glanced at Lafayette and Hercules who said nothing in return. “Exactly, and there won’t ever be a right time so I’m doing it now.”

“What do you want? Money?” Alex said boredly, “Need to pay off a debt?”

“No. Well, we’ll need some money to fix that window you kindly broke.” John said offhandedly.

“I’m assuming there’s more you need from me though?” Alexander prompted.

“We need you to help us break into a prison.”

Alexander blinked up at John, laughing a bit at the absurdity of the statement,

“And why would I help with that?”

“Because if you don’t, we’ll just have to turn you in to the police ourselves.” John said with a sly grin. “Fifty-thousand dollars would be good pocket change too.”

“You can’t go to the police. They’re just as much your enemy as they are mine.” Alexander retaliated.

“See that’s where you’re confused.” John said. “The police, while being a great threat, have no record of us. Unlike you.” Alexander’s eyes narrowed at the man and John continued. “Wanted in three states? I’m sure they would love to have you and make sure you never see the sun again.”

John was lying straight through his teeth. The police database had records on all three of them and more. Bringing Hamilton to the police would be a death wish; John would never even dream about stepping within 100 yards of a police station. He just had to make Hamilton believe his lies.

“So what? You went on Wikipedia? Thought you’d do a little digging and think you found something to use against me.” Alex spat. “Newsflash, I know the police want me. You’re just telling me all the shit I already know about myself.”

“If you help u-“

“Take me to prison then!” Alex shouted. “See if you can even get me there without your lives being dangled by a thread.”

John hummed, his fingers becoming tighter on Hamilton’s arm even as his voice fell to neutral.

“You know what I love? How each of your sentences are always perfectly crafted. You always try and thrust so much power and meaning into them.” John smiled. “However,” his eyes narrowed, and a darkness seemed to befall his face, “I would choose your next words very carefully.”

“Wh-“

“You think your life would be worth anything in a prison?” John asked, voice low. “Everything you’ve ever done would be gone and no one would remember you. No legacy, no imprint on the world.”

Alexander remained silent.

“All the things you’ve been through, all the times you tried to create something for yourself.” John felt a small sense of pride in himself, knowing his words were affecting Hamilton. “Where would your name be? No where.”

The silence engulfed the room, the three waiting for Hamilton’s response. Alexander studied John’s face but found no cracks in the perfect wall he had built up. The only thing he got was an annoying stubborn look which unfortunately only reminded him of himself.

Lafayette and Hercules’ faces presented nothing different. They would back John up with whatever he decided to do judging from their steeled looks.

“So? What do you say Hamilton?” John said.

And so, Alexander was left with a decision to make. He could of course say yes and run off at the next possible opening, but then again look how well that worked last time. The three would obviously also be keeping a closer eye on him, meaning he would have to wait until they took him out of the house to try and make his escape. He didn’t know how long he’d be willing to sit and wait. 

He could always say no and hope they were bluffing. Or possibly try to run when they got in the car. He would be taking a huge risk and it wasn’t guaranteed to work. The odds seemed to be working against him and Alexander couldn’t stand the thought of being caught, knowing what John said was true. He would never be able to make an impact on the world from behind bars.

Alexander hated that his life was so dependent on these three. He didn’t want John to win, didn’t want to see that confident grin he knew was coming. But he did what he had to to survive. He’d been doing it for years on the streets and on the island and he wasn’t about to back down now just because an arrow was pointed to strike at his pride.

“Which prison?”


	5. One Shot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're all having a great summer and if you're still in school I'm praying for you!

Alexander stared at the three men over the rim of his glass, sipping his orange juice. Lafayette, John and Hercules were seated across from him on the other side of the table, all quietly picking at their own eggs and bacon. Each clink of a glass or scrape of a knife seemed to be amplified in the small kitchen.

Alex leaned back in his chair, swirling the liquid around in his glass and watching the pulp spin around before sinking to the bottom. When he glanced up, he caught Lafayette’s eye, but the man quickly turned back towards his food, stabbing an egg with a little too much force.

Alexander wished someone would say something. After they let him up off the ground and moved to the kitchen, the group had become strangely silent. It seemed as though they were all trying to choose their next words carefully, their hesitance showing in the way their eyes flicked or their brows furrowed. 

Sighing heavily, Alexander set his drink back on the table, crossing his arms, 

“You know, as much as I’m loving this silent game we’re all playing, I’d love it a lot more if you guys could maybe tell me what you’re planning for this…” he twirled his hand in the air, “prison break? And maybe how I fit into it all.”

Lafayette and Hercules both glanced at John who continued to sit stoically in his chair, pushing his eggs around with his fork. There was a soft thump that came from below the table and John jumped, swiveling his head to face Lafayette,

“What was that for?” Lafayette simply narrowed his eyes at John’s annoyance and jerked his head in Alex’s direction. John turned to Alexander, who raised his eyebrows imploringly. “Right.”

John took a breath, straightening his shoulders, “I’ve seen your record. I know you know how tech works at least somewhat efficiently. You can get into security cameras and crack systems,”

“Yes, we all know you’re my stalker. Now quit fangirling and tell me what I actually have to do,” Alexander interrupted. He was sick of them dancing around the subject throwing facts in his face that he already knew.

“If you could actually shut up for a second,” John fired, “I’m getting to that part,”

“Well hurry up then,”

John huffed, holding his tongue, 

“As much as I hate to say it, you’re the most skilled with tech,” Alexander couldn’t help but smirk, “we need you to wipe the footage from the cameras and break into their security system to get us inside,” John stared directly at Alex, “I don’t care how you do it. Just get us in and out without leaving a trace,”

Alexander hummed, glancing around the room as if in thought and taking another swig of orange juice. Setting the glass down after a moment, Alexander leaned forward, resting his arms on the table.

“I could wipe the footage,” He started, “but it would be too big of a red flag. Cameras are touchy, and a large gap in video would immediately alert the system something was wrong if any competent person didn’t notice first.”

“Are you saying you can’t or won’t?”

“If you could shut up for a second Freckles, I will tell you,” Alexander grinned at the irritation on John’s face.

“I thought we agreed you wouldn’t call me that,”

“Eh, I felt like bringing it back,” Alex shrugged, “Anyway, as I was saying I won’t reduce myself to simply erasing footage, it’s an amateur’s technique,”

“Didn’t you erase footage on your last robbery?” John questioned.

“Sometimes I like the challenge, but this is bigger than just the thrill of the heist isn’t it?” Alexander said. None of the men spoke up, giving him conformation. “You know what a blind spot is right?”

“Yeah, that spot you can’t see when you’re driving,” John said.

“What if I told you I could make the cameras have a blind spot, so you could move throughout the prison without being caught,”

John leaned back in his chair, thinking, while Lafayette pursed his lips,

“Could you really do that?” Lafayette asked.

“Skeptical?” Alex laughed, “Of course it would take some time, but it’s completely doable,”

“We don’t have time,” John spoke up, “In two weeks Burr will be moved to a holding room in the prison where him and his appointed attorney get to talk. This’ll be the only time he’s out of his cell and not heavily guarded until the actual court date. That’s our only shot.”

Alex scrutinized John. As soon as he mentioned this “Burr” he became more defensive. Alex could see it in the downturn of his lips and the hardness directed towards him. It made him wonder who exactly Burr was to the group. A close friend? Or maybe his skills were incredibly useful to their team and they didn’t want to lose him.

“All I need is a laptop,” Alexander stated, “I can get you in.”

* * *

Alexander was fuming. In his current position he found himself with his back pressed against John’s chest while Hercules sat in front of him examining his arm.

“I hate this,” Alex mumbled. He could already see John’s grin behind him, making him grumble more.

“Yes, we know. You’ve said it for the fourth time already.” Hercules said, smearing a cream onto Alex’s arm that made him hiss at the sting, “John move your hands up a bit more,”

John shifted so that one hand was firmly grasping Alex’s elbow and the other was positioned just above his injured shoulder. 

“I’m not happy about this either you know,” John remarked.

“It’s your fault I’m in this position!” Alex went to say more, but Hercules’ grip on his shoulder tightened and he let out a grunt of pain instead. Alexander wasn’t sure if the squeeze was accidental or a warning, but he quieted, nonetheless. 

Glancing down at the floor, Alex’s eyes swept over the array of medical supplies Hercules had laid out before him. He let out a breath, sinking back into John as he realized he wasn’t getting out anytime soon.

Alexander didn’t mind it all too much though. John was steady and warm at least, and it had been so long since he had been around people who didn’t want to hurt him that Alex reasoned he should indulge himself.

In the kitchen, Lafayette could be seen hunched over a notebook furiously scribbling. The crease between his eyebrows deepened each time he glanced between his paper and the laptop opened on the table. Alexander squinted, trying to make out what was pulled up on the screen, but couldn’t make out any details.

Lafayette used the eraser end to trace something on the computer before tapping it to his lips. His eyes trailed across the paper, risking a glance into the room where the other three were before realizing Hamilton was staring. 

A smirk crept its way across the Frenchman’s face and he winked. Alexander whirled his head back around, blood rushing to his face and John’s laughter ringing in his ears. Thoroughly embarrassed, Alexander jammed his elbow back into John in hopes of ceasing his snickering.

“He is _something_ isn’t he babygirl?” John wheezed out and Alexander didn’t think it was possible for his face to get any redder. It was Lafayette’s turn to laugh now as he watched Alexander’s face burn to the tips of his ears.

“Shut up,” Alex mumbled, but it only increased their laughter.

Hercules had secured the last strip of gauze to Alexander’s shoulder and gave him a sympathetic smile,

“I’ll release you from this torture now,” Alexander pushed away from John, going to sulk on the couch. It’s not like he could go much farther to escape the men. They made it clear he needs to be in their sight at all times.

Alexander leaned against the couch’s armrest, gaze lingering on the bag that slouched against it on the floor. Hearing a small cough from across the room Alex turned to Hercules. The man tilted his head towards the bag and gave him a nod.

Alexander smiled gratefully back at him before reaching and pulling the bag up against him. It was considerably lighter than before. Alexander learned why when he unzipped the top to find the money had all been removed. He sighed, but knew it was unrealistic to believe they wouldn’t take the cash out after his last stunt.

Moving his hand further down into the bag, Alexander’s fingers brushed against the frayed bottom of the bag. Lifting the corner, he pulled out the few photos that he kept hidden there. The grainy image of his mother’s face beamed up at him.

The colors of the picture had bled together from water damage, softening the lines and giving the image an almost dreamlike haze. Still, a grinning Alex could be seen pressed against his mother’s side, eyes scrunched shut against the sun and clutching a backpack to his chest. His mother had a hand on his head, smiling down at him gently.

The cushion dipped next to Alex and he looked up to see Lafayette peering at the photo in his hands. Subtly, Alexander brought the picture closer to his chest, shielding it from Lafayette’s gaze.

“Who are they?” the man prompted. It was a standard question. Alexander couldn’t blame Lafayette for not knowing of the burdens that clung to the question like flies to syrup. It was the blatant curiosity that struck Alex as odd. The man wasn’t looking for something to exploit, wasn’t eager to hear another sob story, but was truly interested in what Alex had to say.

“Well, that’s me.” Alex started slowly, pointing at the young, grinning face, “And that’s… my Mamá.”

If Lafayette noticed the visible sag in Alex’s shoulders, he didn’t say anything.

“You look happy,” Lafayette said, “Are you going to school?”

Alexander gave a soft chuckle,

“Yeah, my first day of kindergarten,” he smiled as the memory came back to him, “It was a challenge to even get to this picture.”  
Lafayette raised an eyebrow in question.

“The night before my first day,” Alex started, “I went over to a friend’s house to show him my new backpack. It was one of the few things that was mine. And it was green of course, which is my favorite color, so you know, it had to be special.” Lafayette giggled,

“Of course, si vous dis oui.”

“Tais-toi, I was like six!”

“Oui, oui continue,” Lafayette said, trying to hold back his grin.

“I will,” Alexander smiled, “So apparently, when I left my friend’s house to go home, I accidentally left the backpack there too.” Alexander shot Lafayette a look when his laughter threatened to bubble over again, “So no big deal we’ll just stop by his house real quick before school and pick it up.”

“I’m assuming it was not so easy?”

“You would be correct,” Alex said, “When we got to the boy’s house it seemed that I had talked so highly of the backpack the night before that he didn’t want to give it back.”

“So, what did you do?”

“Well, my Mamá was arguing with the kid’s parents. They thought I had given him the backpack and was trying to take it back now,” Alex explained, “So, while they were distracted, I shoved one of my notebooks into the boy’s face, grabbed my bag and ran off towards the school.”

“Ah so that is where the thievery began.”

“I didn’t steal it, it was mine!”

“I was joking!” Lafayette said quickly, putting his hands up in surrender, “Go on finish your story. What happened after you ran?”

“Well, the kid was kind of angry after I threw a book in his face, so he took off after me. I wasn’t really sure which way the school was, so I ended up in these fields by my house where my brother and his soccer team were having early practice.”

Alexander made sure to watch Lafayette’s face for the next part. It was his favorite.

“The kid caught up to me as soon as I had finished explaining to James what had happened.”

“James?”

“My brother,” Alex clarified, “So when the boy showed up to the field, he was greeted with about thirty furious older boys.”

“I am guessing you had the same smug look on your face as you do now?”

“Oh, it was worse,” Alex grinned, “I got to watch my brother’s whole team chase this kid down to the ocean before he burst into tears.”

“You are cruel,” Lafayette smiled.

“I did feel a little guilty at the time. But after that he wasn’t the nicest to be around so now when I look back I think he kind of deserved it.”

“So, you finally made it to school with your special bookbag unscathed,” Alex nodded.

Lafayette took the picture from Alexander’s hands, “Huh, you would have never known that you went through so much just to take this picture.”

“There’s always a story behind everything. Just not everyone gets to hear it.”

“Well I am glad that you let me hear yours.”

Alexander cast his gaze to the side, hiding the upturn of his lips.

* * *

The setting sun bathed the kitchen in a harsh fiery glow. Outside, the tall trees provided some shelter from the light, their leaves dappling it throughout the room into smaller puddles of scarlet, but a few beams still managed to slip their way through. They blurred through the window, specks of dirt and dust on the glass glittering in their presence and slid across the smooth surface of the table. Right into Alexander’s eyes.

“Damn sun.” he grumbled, bringing his hand up to shield against the light so that he could better see the laptop screen.

“Yes, curse that flaming orb in the sky which gives us life,” A voice said. Alexander glared as he watched John stroll past him to open the fridge.

“Oh good, you’ve taken a break from your coloring to come bother me.” Alex lazily scrolled through the prison’s security script.

“It’s not coloring, we’re highlighting entry and exit points in the prison,”

“Pretty sure you were using colored pencils to shade in areas on a piece of paper.” Alex side glanced at John, “Coloring.”

John rolled his eyes, pulling out a bottle of Sam Adams and popping off the cap. He brought the bottle to his lips, taking a long swig before pointing the drink at Alex,

“You want a drink?”

“Uh, sure?”

“Cool.” John slid into the seat across from Alex, boredly watching him when the other man’s eyes narrowed, “What?”

“I’m guessing you’re not going to get one for me,” He stated.

“See I knew you were smart,”

Alexander sighed, pushing away from the table and going to get a drink himself. There was a pack of Sam Adams and Heineken, some fruity yellow and pink drinks, and a bottle of vodka.

“What’re these?” Alexander pulled out the brightly colored bottles.

“Those are Laf’s,” John said, “He likes the fruity stuff. Those are pineapple and strawberry daiquiris,” Alex must have made a face because John laughed, “You not into that?”

“If I’m drinking alcohol, I want to be able to taste the alcohol,” He put the bottles back into the fridge, “Not try and cover it up with some poor excuse for a juice box.”

John whistled in shock,

“Don’t let Laf hear you dissing his daiquiris Hamilton,” Alexander waved his hand at him, turning back to the fridge. 

“Well you can definitely taste my beer.” John stretched out his arm, twirling the bottle at him, “Wanna taste of mine? Simple alcohol and not a fruit in sight.”

Alexander hummed before picking the bottle of vodka.

Situating himself back in his chair, Alex placed the bottle on the table, smirking at John’s gaping mouth.

“You trying to catch flies?” Alex said. John’s mouth shut with a click.

Shaking himself from his stupor, John got up to rifle through a cabinet and came back with a shot glass which he set down in front of Alex. 

“You’re gonna need this then I guess,” 

Alexander shrugged, pouring himself a shot. John crossed his arms, still not believing Hamilton chose vodka to drink casually.

With a sly smirk, Alexander made eye contact with John, throwing his head back and relishing in the burn the vodka left clawing at his throat.

“I’m guessing this isn’t yours huh?” Alexander spun the bottle, reading the label.

“That’s Hercules’. He doesn’t drink that much but when he does he expects to get totally shit faced,”

Alexander licked his lips,

“Yeah, makes sense. Bet you couldn’t handle this; not with drinking those weak Sam Adams all the time,”

“I can handle my liquor just fine thanks,” John retorted.

The shot glass slid across the table, resting before John.

“Prove it.” Alexander tilted the bottle in his direction.

Well, let it be said that John Laurens was never one to back down from a challenge.

* * *

Lafayette had been recruited to help Hercules with some car work outside. Well, more like Hercules was doing the car work and Lafayette was holding the flashlight.

Lafayette fidgeted next to car, drawing circles in the dirt with his shoe. He didn’t like the idea of leaving John and Hamilton alone in the same room for too long, and he had already been away for over an hour. He didn’t know if the lack of yelling coming from the house was supposed to be reassuring or concerning.

Fortunately, Hercules must have sensed his distress,

“You know I’m pretty much done out here if you wanted to head inside and make sure one didn’t kill the other,” 

Lafayette sent him a grateful smile, already heading for the door,

“Merci! I will help you tomorrow. Promise!”

“Yeah, yeah just go,”

When Lafayette opened the front door, he was in for a bit of whiplash. 

Outside, the house seemed quiet and dormant, but inside a boisterous ruckus could be heard coming from the kitchen. It didn’t sound threatening though, just… loud.

Lafayette carefully made his way over to the room, keeping his steps light so as not to alert the men. Peering around the corner, Lafayette spotted the empty vodka bottle first, and then the mess that followed it.

Hamilton stood on a chair in the center of the room, brandishing an empty shot glass like sword and gesticulating wildly. John meanwhile, was seated on the floor laughing uncontrollably as he gazed up at Hamilton. 

Lafayette could see John was way past his alcohol limit, his cheeks blazed pink and his eyes hazy. Hamilton didn’t look much better.

“Like they say it can’t be done! They _say_ that! Say it’s not worth it for how much time it takes, but that’s bullshit!” Lafayette was worried Hamilton might fall off the chair with the amount of moving he was doing as he spoke.

“And whattaya say to ‘em Ham?”

“I say fuck ‘em!” he yelled, stomping his foot and making the chair wobble, “It takes so much time cause they’re shit at it. But you know who can do it in less than half the time they can?”

“You?”

“Me fuckers!” he raised his finger to point at Laurens, “You could do it, I can do it,” he noticed Lafayette now watching them, “The French can do it!”

This prompted Laurens to tilt his head back, laughing again as he saw Lafayette upside down in his vision. Reaching out for him, John said,

“Babe, baby, Ham is crazy you gotta stop him.” Lafayette crouched down next to John, leaning his back against the counter and placing his boyfriend’s head in his lap.

“John how much did you two drink?” John’s brow furrowed and he looked over at Alexander.

“Ham, how much did we drink?”

Alexander stumbled off the chair, grabbing the vodka bottle off the table and presenting it to Lafayette,

“Uh, this. It’s Hercules’,”

Lafayette sighed,

“Yes, that’s helpful. I am just going to assume the bottle was filled and that you both are on the verge of alcohol poisoning.”

Alexander suddenly seemed very interested in scrutinizing the alcohol bottle and then as if a light was switched, ran over to the fridge.  
Placing the empty vodka bottle back in the fridge, Alexander pulled out a strawberry daiquiri and came back over to Lafayette.

“And this one’s yours.” Lafayette took the bottle almost dropping it when John yelled below him,

“Ham doesn’t like your shitty juice boxes!” 

“Shut up! You said not to tell him!”

Lafayette watched the two with mild amusement, taking a sip from his own drink and wondering if this is what it felt like to have children. The two continued to rant back and forth before Alexander spun around so dramatically, he ended up tripping and falling onto John. 

“Ow Ham what the hell,” John grunted as Alex’s head hit his stomach. Alex didn’t move instead shifting to look at Lafayette,

“You! You think you know me now! But you don’t!” Lafayette didn’t understand what Alex was insinuating and raised a confused brow in response to his sudden outburst. 

John however, took it upon himself to answer Alex,

“I know you,”

“What do you know about me?”

“That,” John giggled, “that you’re a major asshole!”

Alexander laughed, reaching for a half empty Sam Adams by John. Lafayette was quick to scoop the bottle out of his hands though, saying,

“I think you are done petit,” Alexander grumbled at this,

“Not small.”

“You are,” Lafayette stated, “you both are.” He was becoming increasingly worried about how much the men had drunk and, taking into account their small statures, how dangerous that amount could be.

John had busied himself by playing with Lafayette’s hand, bumping Alex’s head with his leg every few minutes to get a reaction.   
It was almost peaceful for the time being, interrupted every so often by Alexander and John breaking out into uncontrollable laughter. 

Lafayette had gotten up at one point to get them both water and made a hasty return when the two started protesting his absence. Quickly placing John’s head back in his lap to quiet them, Lafayette shoved the two water bottles into their hands and left no room for complaining.

Unscrewing the bottle, John attempted to drink his water while still having his head in Lafayette’s lap, which went about as well as expected. The front of John’s shirt got soaked and Alex was sent into a coughing fit after choking on his own water from seeing the action.

Still hunched over with laughter and coughs, Alexander made a remark on how John should just take off his shirt, and Lafayette couldn’t help but grin at the terribly executed seductive eyes that came with it. John didn’t seem fazed though, instead firing back that maybe Alex should take off his.

After convincing both men to keep their clothes on, Lafayette settled back against the counter, the knobs from the cabinets digging into his back. Fingers bumping into Alexander’s arm as he rested them onto John’s head, Lafayette realized just how close the three were.

John laid on Lafayette’s lap and Alexander’s head rested on John’s stomach. Alexander had his arms haphazardly spread out across the floor, one brushing against Lafayette’s leg and the other resting partly on John. John, whether he knew it or not, had caught a few strands of Alex’s hair between his fingers and was twisting them around softly.

Lafayette heard a small sigh from John as the man turned his head to better look at Alex,

“How’d you start stealin’?” he asked.

Alexander hummed and closed his eyes, the kitchen lights dipping along his features and pronouncing the angles of his face. Angles carved from years of hunger and longing, of struggle and triumph. Always rising above the crashing waves.

“I was,” Alexander opened one eye to smirk at John, “a child prodigy.”

John snorted, face scrunching,

“That doesn’t answer my question,”

“You’re right,” Alexander said and closed his eyes again. Lafayette feared he had fallen asleep with how still he was. His chest rising and falling in slow steady breaths and eyes fluttering. So, when Alexander did speak up again Lafayette was almost startled at the sound, “I was so smart.”

“Yeah?” John prompted.

“Yeah,” Alexander sighed, “So smart they sent me here.”

“Whose they?” John gazed at the ceiling with half-closed eyes.

“People on my island.” Lafayette thought back to the picture Hamilton had showed him earlier with his Mamá. _Did Hamilton want to leave the island? Was his mother still there? Is that why he seems so sad when he mentions her?_ “I got a big ass scholarship.”

“Big ass scholarship.” John repeated and Alexander nodded,

“Wanted to make my Mamá proud. Still do.” Alexander traced circles onto the tile floor with his finger, “Except I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t be right about now.”

“Mine either,” John added, “She wanted me to be a doctor or something’.”

“I think,” Alex started, “I think you’d make a shit doctor.” At this both boys began cracking up. Lafayette didn’t understand what was so funny, but Hamilton had sat up with a hand slapped over his mouth and John had buried his face into Lafayette shaking with laughter.

After the two got settled again, Alex laid back against John. 

“Lost my money though.” His lip curled in disgust, “Those ass fuckers took my damn money!”

“Who took your money?” Lafayette asked.

“That college!” Alexander spat, “Said my scholarship didn’t work anymore and I couldn’t go to school there anymore.”

“So, what’d you do?” John questioned.

“I started stealin’,”

“Ooh here comes the good part!” John cheered.

“Yeah yeah the good part,” Alexander rolled his eyes. “I didn’t wanna start stealin’ but I just…” he trailed off, rolling the water bottle between his hands. A few beats of silence passed before John nudged him and Alexander jerked up, “Oh yeah! Started small getting those drug stores, but then I was like ‘ah fuck it the big ones are better’.”

“The banks?” Lafayette said.

“Yeah bigger stuff. Gets me more money,”

“And they’re funner,”

“Funners not a word Johnny,”

“Screw off Ham,” Alexander huffed at this, a smile tugging at his lips. 

“So, I started stealin’ from banks and stuff and I got really good with tech. But I never hurt anybody!” he exclaimed, jabbing his arm into the air.

“Never said you did?” John tilted his head in confusion, the alcohol slowing his motions. His heart however, sped up a considerable amount. Did Hamilton know what they had done in the woods? Was he accusing them?

John’s vision clouded over, and he blinked a few times to dissipate the wetness from his eyes. Damn vodka making him overly emotional. “Do you wanna know how I got into the biz?” Lafayette snorted at John’s choice of words but stopped as the man suddenly glared at him.

“Yeah let’s hear it.”

“So, ok so my Dad was a major dick, right?” John waited for Hamilton to nod, “So, this one night he was really pissing me off. I… don’t really remember what he was yellin’ about, but it doesn’t matter.” He shook his head, “But, I was tired of him always putting me down so I snapped!”

“What’d you do!” Alexander spun his head to look at John.

“Well, first I completely trashed his car! And then I ran away and never looked back!” John flung out his arm toward the ceiling.

“Dramatic,” Lafayette mumbled.

“Rebellious Johnny,” Alex said.

“Right!” John beamed, “I didn’t know where I was going but then I met Laf and he was crazy reckless just like me.”

“You wound me mon cher,” Lafayette put a hand on his heart in mock hurt, “I am a changed man, yet you still bring up my rocky past.”

“I’m sorry baby,” John placed his hand over Lafayette’s chest, “but you were absolutely batshit crazy and I need Ham to know just how batshit crazy you were.” Lafayette gasped, but John grinned.

“So Laf was always out picking bar fights and that’s where I met him because he beat me into the ground.”

“What? Wait really!” Alex sat up.

“I said I was sorry.” Lafayette’s voice was muffled as he buried his head in his hands. 

“But it was okay I just made him mad about something, but we were cool after,” John said, “More than cool if you know what I mean.”  
Lafayette swatted him upside the head, 

“John Laurens do not taint the air with your words!” John laughed and continued,

“We became this awesome duo, picking fights and robbing lil’ convenient stores,” He paused, “and then we met Herc.”

“Herc the getaway driver,” Alex mumbled, “This the good part?” he added.

“Hasn’t it all been good?” John pouted making Alex laugh.

“Yeah yeah of course, keep going.”

“Well, we met Herc and did some bigger stuff with him and then he showed us his friends, Angie, Thomas and… and Aaron.” Alexander pretended not to notice the way John suddenly tripped over his words, “And Thomas was mad at his dad too, so he wanted us to help steal from him.” 

“He’s a rich man?” Alex asked.

“Yeah super fucking rich,” John nodded, “We started robbing these real expensive paintings and sculptures, they’re actually right over there in that room if you didn’t see already. That one with the lady and all the weird bugs he’s been searching for for over six months now. If he ever figured out where we were he’d-“

“Cher how about we do not talk about the paintings right now okay?” Lafayette said, emphasizing his point, “I do not think Thomas would be pleased to know you are going around sharing this information yes?” John didn’t understand why he couldn’t talk about the paintings in front of Alex, but he listened to Lafayette. Afterall he was the only sober one, so he probably knew best.

“What’s your story then?” Alex turned to Lafayette.

“Has John not already slandered my image enough that I must now do it to myself?”

“Story,” Alexander said, and John chimed in, 

“Story,”

“No, drink your water,”

“Story,” they both started to chant, getting progressively louder, “Story, story!”

“You are both extremely immature,”

“Story! Story!”

Lafayette groaned, taking a long drink from his daiquiri as the two continued to yell around him. They were both going to have one hell of a hangover tomorrow, Lafayette thought.

“You are sure you do not want to-“

“Story!”

“It is a boring story real-“

“Story! Story!”

“Do I have to-“

“Story-“

“Ok fine! Faire taire!” Lafayette hissed, “I will tell you my story.”

Alexander and John grinned at each other, highfiving. 

“D’accord, well I lived in France before I came here to America with ma mère et mon père,” He began, “I was of high nobility and had a large fortune that would be handed down to me when I came of age.”

“Did you live in a castle?” Alexander asked.

“Oh yeah, a giant one! With a huge garden and a pool and horses,” John jumped in.

“Yes, thank you for that mon amour,” Lafayette smiled, “But, unfortunately my parents died in a car accident before I could receive it.”

“Damn cars,” Alexander grumbled.

“After my parents were gone, my uncle succeeded in sending me to foster care here in America so it would be harder for me to assume my wealth.” Alexander straightened up a bit. Foster care was something he was familiar with. “My American family was,” Lafayette flitted his hand in the air, “not very friendly though.”

John took Lafayette’s hand into his own, rubbing circles onto the back of it. Alexander on the other hand, stood up in a flurry.

“Did they hurt you! I will personally fight them if they laid a hand on you!”

“Woah, calme-toi!”

“Easy Ham!” Both Laurens and Lafayette scrambled up, ready to catch Hamilton as he swayed dangerously in the center of the kitchen.

“No, I mean it I will fight them so hard-“ John grabbed Hamilton’s shoulders, trying to guide him back towards the floor.

“It is okay! They never hurt me I promise!” Lafayette rushed. Hamilton looked up into Lafayette’s eyes, searching for a hint of lying, but when he found none he nodded and let John guide him back to the ground.

“I will still fight them for you if you want,” Alex declared, “You know, if they’re dicks or somethin’.”

“I appreciate it. Now will you let me finish my story without more interruptions?”

“Yeah go ahead, story.”

“Thank you.” Lafayette didn’t acknowledge the fact that Hamilton’s head had settled onto his lap, “My American family knew of my fortune and, like my uncle, they wanted it for themselves.” He shuddered at the memory. 

Being forced to leave France was hard enough, but knowing that no matter where you went you’d always be defined by your money was even harder. Lafayette remembered those few months after his parents’ deaths being a whirlwind of chaos. His uncle sending him away the same day as the funeral, his foster parents interrogating him about his inheritance, the day he ran away.

“When I told them I did not know anything about my inheritance they would get mad,” Lafayette sighed, “They were angry a lot.”

His foster parents had forbid Lafayette from speaking French. They were convinced that Lafayette knew how to access his fortune, but didn’t know how to explain it in English, so they made sure he learned quickly.

“I did not stay long. I was upset with everyone and needed to get out… so I ran away.”

The night Lafayette left, his foster parents voices rang through the house. They were arguing on the phone with his uncle, saying that since Lafayette was in their care, they should receive benefits. They were after the Lafayette family fortune. Lafayette didn’t stick around long enough to see if they won their case though.

“I was… reckless as John said,” Lafayette’s lips curved upward, “I thought the world had… wronged me?” he looked to John for conformation, who nodded, “Yes, wronged me.”

“You were on the streets?” Alexander asked.

“Oui, it was a difficult time. I started to steal to survive and I would start fights with everyone.”

“Like you now Hammy.” John piped up.

“Don’t call me Hammy.”

“Hammy-“

“Stop both of you,” Lafayette silenced them, “That is my story though, nothing more. I met John about a month after running away, then we met Hercules, and then I… have lost track of the time.” Lafayette hoped neither of the men noticed his rushed ending.

“Been kicking ass for many a years.” John nodded wisely and Alexander copied him, making Lafayette snicker.

“You two are ridiculous.”

“Ridículos.” John repeated.

“John es ridículo, no yo.” 

“Do not start with this.” Lafayette warned, but Alexander gasped,

“John! Secret language!”

“Shit you’re right. No va a entender.” Lafayette’s shoulders sagged and he leaned over to grab the water bottles discarded on the floor.

“Just drink your water. _Agua._ ” He stressed shoving the drinks into their arms.

John and Alexander continued to only speak in their “secret language”, annoying Lafayette to no end. The Frenchman wished they would go to sleep soon.

Still, Lafayette found it amazing how one bottle of vodka could turn the men who were previously at each other’s throats every second of the day into best friends. They laughed and shoved each other as if they’d known each other for years. It was a shame it was going to come to an end in the morning.

Lafayette hoped that the excess of alcohol would be enough to cloud Hamilton’s memory of tonight. He had said too much of his personal life, and to a stranger no less! The intimate setting just made it too easy for the words to flow and he didn’t need Hamilton trying any of his psychology tricks on him like he did with John.

“Are you both ready to stop and go to bed yet?” Lafayette asked.

“No! No cama! Lenguaje secreto!” Alexander yelled.

“Sí, sí language secreto!” John echoed.

“Please? You can speak Spanish just go to bed.” Lafayette rubbed his temples. How was he supposed to control _two_ drunk idiots?

“No! Dilo en el lenguaje secreto!”

“I cannot speak the… secret language.” Lafayette was grateful at least some of the words they were saying sounded familiar.

“Entonces, nosotros no vamos a dormir!” 

“What must I say for yo-“

“Yo! Both of you! Vayan a dormir ahorra!” Hercules stood in the entryway, arms crossed.

John and Alexander stopped at once. They glanced at each other, seeming to contemplate whether they should comply or not. The two risked a glance at Hercules.

“ _Now._ ” Hercules’ tone left no room for discussion and so the men stumbled to their feet. They muttered bitterly to themselves as they passed Hercules and made their way to the stairs.

“And don’t ever touch my vodka again!” Hercules shouted up after them.

Turning back to the kitchen, Hercules stuck out his hand, helping Lafayette off the floor.

“I never knew you spoke Spanish?” Lafayette said.

“I don’t.”

“So then, how did you-“

“I googled it.” Hercules grinned, the smile spreading to Lafayette’s face as well.

“You connard!” Lafayette shoved Hercules’ shoulder. The two collapsed onto the couch, both glad to be off babysitting duty for a while. They fell into a comfortable silence before Lafayette shifted, “Uh, how much did you hear?”

“I came in around John’s part.” Hercules rubbed at a piece of his shirt where a dirt stain could be seen, “I guess Hamilton’s gonna be coming for my sob story next huh?”

Lafayette shrugged, staying silent. Hercules fiddled with his hands, “You know I had sorta pieced together your past even before I heard you in there and you know I wouldn’t hold it against you right Laf? We all have our shit to deal with. I mean I know you don’t like to talk about it, but I don’t see you any differently.”

“Merci, I think it is not that which I am worried about, but the fact that I was able to talk so freely about my life around a stranger.”

“Don’t worry Laf it’s not like he’s gonna blackmail you.” Hercules placed his hand on Lafayette’s shoulder, “And if he does me and Johnny boy will personally see it’s dealt with.”

“I know you will,” Lafayette said. 

The quiet moment was ruined however, by a loud crash sounding from upstairs. Hercules and Lafayette didn’t have to look at each other before sighing.

“This is why I tell him to stick to Sam Adams,” Hercules grumbled, “Lightweights.”

“I suppose we have to go help them.”

“Guess so. Afterall,” Hercules said, “the gang’s all getting back together soon, and we gotta cherish all the down time we can get before the real work comes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ya'll get a little insight into their Tragic Backstories and the fact that neither John or Alex can hold their liquor. new characters coming soon btw and I can't wait! also guess who finally learned how to put in page breaks right.  
> Translations:  
> si vous dis oui = if you say so  
> tais-toi = shut up  
> faire taire = be quiet  
> calme-toi = calm down  
> (next is for alex and john's little drunk stroke of genius with the secret language)  
> ridículos = ridiculous  
> no va a entender = he won't understand  
> no cama = no bed  
> lenguaje secreto = secret language   
> dilo en el lenguaje secreto = say it in the secret language  
> entonces, nosostros no vamos a dormir = then we're not going to sleep  
> vayan a dormir ahorra = go to sleep now  
> honestly all this spanish is just an excuse for me to practice over the summer, but pls correct me again if it's wrong, same with the french!


End file.
